


i'm not covering my eyes this time

by thegrayness



Category: Schitt's Creek (TV) RPF
Genre: Anal Sex, Comeplay, Cooking, Couch Cuddles, Couch Sex, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Hand Feeding, Happy Ending, Kitchen Sex, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Romantic Fluff, Tender Sex, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:08:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrayness/pseuds/thegrayness
Summary: A few years in the future, Dan and Noah are in a mostly long-distance relationship, between LA and Toronto. In this fic, they go on a weekend getaway to a lake house. They have a lot of sex, and a lot of food, and a lot of feelings about how sustainable their current situation is.
Relationships: Dan Levy/Noah Reid
Comments: 36
Kudos: 98
Collections: RPFebruary





	1. lot of road up ahead

**Author's Note:**

> This fic occurs in generally the same universe as (1) [I Guess We're Doing this](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22545481?view_full_work=true) by [this_is_not_nothing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_is_not_nothing/pseuds/this_is_not_nothing) and (2) [Golden Week](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22637368?view_full_work=true) by [popfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/popfly/pseuds/popfly). This fic is the conclusion (well, you know, until one of us decides we want to say more), if you will, to Dan and Noah's story as they navigate their future together. So. Read those also (though you don't have ot have read those to understand/enjoy this one). But still, read them. 
> 
> My working titles were unexciting: Lakehouse, and the gdoc title "Hey, my buddy has a lakehosue," complete with that brilliant typo. I'm super thankful for the RPF Rosebuddies, as well as aforementioned popfly (who gently suggested we write these fics and then didn't divorce TINN and I when we complained about it every step of the way) and TINN (who beta'd this, more than once, and constantly, and I do mean constantly, talked me off of every conceivable writers' ledge right up until this very moment). 
> 
> I'm happy for this to be out in the world, but also incredibly sad that it's over. The post-posting ennui will be brutal with this one. This probably doesn't need to be said, especially if you've read my fic before, but I don't know anything about anything and I don't do research so if something is "incorrect" well, this is fiction.
> 
> Title and chapter titles from the song [the end](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qowkliVBvpg) by MisterWives.

Dan is exhausted. 

His flight into Toronto was delayed an hour; he’s carrying too many bags; he’s  _ starving;  _ he misses Noah; and he’s about to spend the night  _ alone  _ in their condo. 

It didn’t make sense for them to have two separate places in Toronto—and it’s nice to be in the same place when they’re, well, in the same place. Noah splits his time, depending on projects, between Toronto and LA, while Dan lives in LA pretty much full-time. 

Noah won’t be inside, though, tonight. 

They’d had  _ big plans  _ this weekend. Noah was going to come home for the weekend from shooting an indie film in Nova Scotia, and Dan had needed to get out of LA, just for one fucking weekend. 

So they were going to meet in Toronto to spend some much needed time together. He’d even arranged for Redmond to stay with his Auntie Sarah for the weekend. Everyone was going to see people they missed. 

Except then Noah got scheduled to film nearly all day Saturday, last minute.

And—the thing is: Dan gets it. Filming is just like that sometimes. He doesn’t—he’s not  _ mad _ about it. It's just how life is. 

He’s just incredibly  _ sad _ about it. They’ve been doing the long-distance thing (when Noah’s in Toronto) for nearly two years, now—basically since Dan bought the house in LA after he signed on with ABC, and this weekend together would have been amazing. Even if Dan would have needed to work for a little bit—a few hours. 

Dan fumbles with his keys, but finally gets the door open, dumping all his bags on the floor inside the door. He’s starving—luckily his too-big order of Indian takeout is already on its way—and he just wants to lay on the couch. When he looks up, and sees Noah standing in the middle of their living room, he startles so hard he drops his phone. 

On the one hand, he’s so pissed that Noah just scared the shit out of him; and on the other, he’s so fucking relieved because he hasn’t seen his boyfriend in nearly two months and his heart has ached every day. 

He heaves in a shuddery breath and lets it out in a half-sob as he moves forward, and Noah meets him halfway, pulling him into an embrace that makes Dan want to cry even more—the weight of being without this for weeks has finally lifted. Noah rubs his back, soothing him and probably trying to stop him from crying into his neck. “Hey,” Noah says softly, reaching a hand up to stroke at the back of Dan’s head. 

Dan makes a broken noise against Noah’s skin, and takes another breath, inhaling the smell of him, his shampoo and his cologne and his skin. He kisses the skin he can reach without moving, squeezing his eyes shut at the familiar sensation. He pulls Noah closer, if it’s even possible, arms tight around his shoulders. If he lets go, Noah might pull away, put inches between them, or disappear. Dan’s not letting him go.

They stand there for way too many minutes and once Dan feels like he can stand up by himself, he pulls away, wiping furiously at his eyes. “Hi.”

Noah smiles at him and cups his cheeks. “Hi.”

“I’m glad you’re here. How are you here?” Dan tries to move his face away but Noah holds tight and kisses him, a ‘we’ve-been-apart-for-so-long’ kiss, desperate and clumsy and Dan might be crying but that's too bad because he's never going to stop kissing Noah ever again.

He does need to breathe, though, and he’s mad about it. He breaks the kiss and leans his forehead against Noah’s, eyes closed, just reveling in the fact that Noah’s  _ here _ and he doesn’t have to  _ miss _ him anymore. Noah’s hands are pressed against his lower back so their bodies are flush, and Dan doesn’t ever want to leave this spot. He  _ won’t _ .

“I talked to the producer and he was mad but they figured it out.” Noah shrugged. “I need a break.  _ You _ need a break,” Noah says, standing up straight. “My buddy has a lake house… I’ve packed for you.” Noah stares at him with wide eyes, waiting for Dan to answer—to agree because Noah is right. Dan needs a break. But…

“I—I have calls and… ” he whispers, but it’s weak and he  _ wants _ . Noah gives him a sad smile, as if he’d expected this response. 

“Just one night,” Noah says fervently. “I’ll drive you back tomorrow night. Dan, I think you can go 24 hours without working. Can’t you?” Noah’s tone is casual but Dan can tell he’s serious. 

Dan bites his lip, skeptical, but nods anyway. He can definitely last one night without working. He can wait 24 hours to respond to the 7 emails he knows are waiting for him in his account. He  _ did  _ only schedule those to fill the time without Noah, maybe he can email Leah, his assistant, to cancel them so he can spend time with Noah. Or—

He pulls away from Noah and picks up his phone from the floor in the entryway. “Let me just check a few things and answer—” Noah backs him up to the door.

“That’s enough, Daniel,” Noah says softly. “You  _ need a break _ .”

*

“Mmkay are you sure I can’t just have my phone  _ for the drive _ ?’” Dan asks as Noah drives them way too far out of the city for Dan’s usual taste. Noah’s just really lucky Dan loves him.

“You don’t need your phone, I’m right here,” Noah says and Dan knows he’s smirking. If Dan wasn’t full of the Indian delivery Dan begrudgingly shared before they left, he’d be able to muster up a bit more heat in his glare.

“Yeah, well if  _ you _ want to tell me what my press schedule is for next week then by all means.” Dan liked to be  _ prepared _ is all. 

Noah is laughing now and Dan scowls out the window. “Dan, what would you do if every moment of your day wasn’t scheduled? Would you forget to brush your teeth?”

“No,” Dan sasses. “But I might forget to run away for a night with my boyfriend!”

Noah quiets but gives another little laugh. “Can’t have that,” he says softly, reaching over to tangle his fingers with Dan’s. They turn onto a dirt road and Dan sits up straighter, looking dubiously out of the window. He can’t make out anything, really, because it’s hours after sundown.

“Um. Are we going to a cabin in the woods?”

“It’s not a cabin but there are woods, yeah. Why—you scared?” Noah teases. 

“Of an isolated cabin in the woods, yeah!” Dan says, pulling his hand out of Noah’s grasp. 

“Don’t worry, babe. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Dan wants to stay annoyed, but he ends up smiling over at Noah anyway as he pulls the car into a long gravel driveway. Dan turns his attention forward to peer through the windshield and he lets out a quiet gasp as the house comes into view, lit up by spotlights and stake lights along the walkways.

“Um, who do you know that owns  _ this _ house?”

Noah doesn’t offer an explanation. “Just a buddy of mine.”

Dan hums skeptically and takes in their surroundings as best he can. The house is…  _ not _ a cabin. It’s gorgeous and old and woodsy, but the property is open enough to assuage Dan’s fears because 20 feet past the front of the house is the wide expanse of Lake Rousseau (so said the sign they passed 3 miles ago). It’s a little creepy in the dark, but Dan is actually… excited to see it in the daylight. 

Noah parks and leans over to kiss Dan’s cheek and gets out to grab their bags from the trunk. Dan gets out to look around, but not too far, and grabs a grocery tote that Noah holds out to him. He peeks inside. “Ooh,  _ prosecco _ , feeling fancy, hm, Noah?”

“Hey,” Noah shrugs. “Anything for you, babe.” He leads Dan up the walkway and Dan takes in the details on the heavy wooden door, admires the landscaping near the light sources. Dan stands close to Noah as he unlocks the door. 

“This is nice,” he whispers in Noah’s ear, stifling a giggle when Noah drops the keys and curses quietly. 

They finally get inside, and Noah points out a few rooms off the front hallway as they make their way into the kitchen. Noah starts unpacking their things while Dan looks around—the not-cabin is  _ very _ tastefully appointed. Whites and grays and steel blues and non-tacky faux furs. An expansive living room beyond the kitchen with a brick-face fireplace, and all-glass doors that open out onto what Dan assumes is a deck, but all he can see is his own warped reflection. 

Dan wanders back into the kitchen and jumps at the  _ pop _ of the champagne cork, grinning as he watches Noah pour them two mugs full. “Sorry—no champagne glasses here,” Noah says, handing Dan a drink. “And I didn’t wanna look anymore.” Dan sidles over and slips right into Noah’s space wrapping an arm around his waist. 

“Champagne mugs are just fine,” he says quietly. “To a night off.” He holds up his mug, adorned with Lake Rousseau in a dramatic script, and Noah taps his against it. 

“Mmhmm—to a night off.” Noah’s voice sounds weird, but Dan takes a sip of his drink and doesn’t mention it. Instead he presses in closer to fit his lips over Noah’s, licking at the taste of champagne in his mouth. “Mm,” Noah groans and pulls back, taking another swig from his mug. He deposits the mug on the counter and leans in, and Dan fumbles his own mug onto a flat surface as he grabs at Noah’s shoulders. 

He makes a surprised noise when Noah’s lips find his, because Noah didn’t swallow all of his champagne—some of it spills into Dan’s mouth and over his lips as Noah pushes forward, nudging at Dan’s hips, trying to shove him up onto the counter.

“Wait, wait,” Dan hisses, fumbling with the button on his own pants. Noah’s hands come into the mix which doesn’t exactly help, but together they manage to shove his pants down far enough to free his hardening cock. 

Noah lifts him onto the cold counter and Dan gasps at the temperature of the stone—or because Noah gets his hand around Dan’s dick—and starts pushing at Noah’s flannel-fleece jacket. Noah shakes it off one arm, but doesn’t move his hand off Dan’s cock to get it off the other arm. Dan hooks a hand around the back of Noah’s neck to pull him in for a frantic kiss, all lips and teeth and prosecco, shoving his tongue into Noah’s mouth with a groan. 

Noah is jerking him in earnest now, too dry and rough but still as perfect as anything, and Dan gets a hand into Noah’s pants, grateful—for once—that Noah is wearing something loose. He slips his fingers into Noah’s boxers and gets an awkward grip on his cock, still clutching at the back of his neck with his other hand. 

Noah bats Dan’s hand away from his pants, and uses the hand not on Dan’s cock to push them down, getting them low enough that he can grab Dan’s hand and put it back over his dick. He moans into Dan’s mouth, biting at his lips and gentling the sting with strokes of his tongue.

Dan tries to jerk his hips up, to fuck into Noah’s fist, but everything about their position is awkward and uncomfortable, and Dan is about to suggest they just move to the couch, when Noah pulls his hand and mouth away, lifting his hand palm-forward to Dan’s mouth. 

Dan doesn’t waste any time, sucks down three of Noah’s fingers, getting them wet, biting playfully at his fingertips. Noah gets his hand back on Dan’s dick, and Dan moans loudly, free hand flying back on the counter to catch his balance, knocking into one of their mugs of champagne. Neither of them stops and Dan spits into his own hand and jerks Noah, fist tight like he knows Noah’s likes, trying to twist his palm over the head to make Noah get loud—they have no neighbors for at least a mile. 

_ “Fuck _ ,” Noah curses. “Fuck, yeah, Dan.”

Dan uses the counter for leverage and manages to fuck into Noah’s fist, tiny movements that make Noah’s hand drag deliciously over his cock, and it’s been  _ so long _ and Noah is there and Noah’s hand is  _ perfect _ around him and Noah leans over to suck a hickey high on Dan’s neck and then Dan’s coming. “Noah,” he groans, sweaty hand slipping on the counter and nearly toppling them both back before Noah pulls him up again, stroking him through his orgasm as he spills over Noah’s hand and his own bare thighs. 

Noah is chanting his name against his shoulder, and Dan picks up speed again on Noah’s dick, rubbing the wetness at the tip down the length of him, and  _ finally _ getting the twisty action he knows Noah likes. “C’mon baby, come, it’s been so long, can’t believe we’re here. Come for me, Noah, want you to,” he mumbles into Noah’s mouth, pulling him closer by the hip so he comes on Dan. 

Noah does, trembling in Dan’s arms and jerking his hips, fucking into Dan’s fist. Dan manages to catch most of the mess, the rest gets on his thighs, mixing with his own release. 

“Fuck,” Noah says again. “ _ Fuck _ . God I missed you so much,” he pants, pulling Dan into his chest and petting at the back of his hair. Dan smiles into Noah’s shoulder, trying to stifle the laugh bubbling up in his chest. 

Finally between giggles, he manages, “We just had sex in your friend’s kitchen.”

*

After cleaning up the kitchen from their evening tryst, Noah decides, to Dan’s horror, to go out for a late-night swim in the lake. “Noah, it’s  _ so _ dark out there!” 

“There are lights, you know,” Noah says, flipping a switch just inside the door to the balcony. The deck and walkway down to the dock are fairly well lit, but after that it’s darkness and probably lake monsters, so it’s not exactly Dan’s vibe. And yet Dan doesn’t want Noah to go out there  _ alone _ .

“Ughhhh,” he groans. “Fine but I am not leaving the lighted area, and if you get your ass dragged down by tentacled lake monsters I’m  _ not _ jumping in after you.”

Noah grins and kisses his cheek before galloping excitedly to the bedroom to change into his swim trunks. Luckily the August weather is warm, so Dan steps onto the deck, refilled mug of champagne in hand, and settles into one of the Adirondack chairs. It looks like there are a few bug lights, which he appreciates.

A few minutes later, Noah joins him on the deck and drops a small bottle into his lap. Dan holds it up in the light—it’s bug spray. Dan just barely gets it onto his arms before Noah is tugging at him and pulling him down to the water. Dan stops short at the edge of the pool of light from the flood lamp at the end of the deck, letting Noah’s fingers slip from his grasp. “Nope. I’m staying right here where I can see all the bugs. Now go do this lake thing, I don’t want to loiter out here for a potential serial killer to get any ideas.” 

Noah grins at him, and Dan rolls his eyes at himself as he fails to resist an answering smile. Noah pecks him on the cheek and takes off trotting down the dock, dropping his towel and picking up speed before leaping off the end of the dock and splashing loudly into the dark lake. 

Dan takes a few steps forward, out of the light, when Noah takes two seconds too long to return to the surface, but immediately backtracks when he sees his boyfriend bob to the surface and swing back his too-long, wet hair to get it out of his face. “It’s really warm!” He calls to Dan. 

“I’m good!” Dan says, crossing his arms and looking at their surroundings. The house, and its dock, are really secluded—it’s a nice place probably… in the daylight. He takes in the Adirondack chairs behind him, wondering if both he and Noah could fit on one of them… maybe he could sit in Noah’s lap… 

Dan is startled out of his reverie as Noah thumps back up the dock, rubbing at his hair with a towel and smiling like a kid on summer vacation. Dan smiles too, ducking his head as Noah gets right up in his personal space. “Hey, don’t—” Dan protests as Noah presses his wet chest to Dan’s dry shirt. “Noah!” He exclaims, laughing and trying to pull away. Noah wraps him up in his wet arms, holding him close, and leans up for a kiss, wet lips dragging against Dan’s stubble. 

“Got you,” Noah says, voice quiet in the space between them. 

Dan relents and rests his arms on Noah’s shoulders. “Mm, you do.” He nods and sighs into another kiss, letting Noah pull him even closer as they stand in the pool of light from the lamp post. Noah’s insistent kisses and roaming hands make Dan forget about his damp clothes, and he tangles his fingers through Noah’s wet curls. They make out next to the lake, long enough for Noah’s skin to mostly dry, long enough for Dan to feel his lips get sore, and Dan pulls away. “Can we go to bed now?” He murmurs, nosing into the hair at Noah’s ear. 

“Yeah.” Noah bites at Dan’s shoulder and pulls back, hanging his towel around his neck and nodding up towards the house. “Take me to bed.” 

*

Back in the house, they carry their suitcases up to the impressive master bedroom and Noah tries to let Dan have the bathroom first, making a move for the bed like he’s actually about to  _ get into bed all clammy and gross from the lake _ . 

“Absolutely  _ not _ , Noah, you get in the shower before you get all your lake goop on the sheets I have to sleep in,” Dan says, hooking his fingers into the waist of Noah’s trunks to pull him away from the fluffy comforter on the bed. 

Noah goes so far as to  _ pout _ at him, but Dan has visions of the dark and probably murky lake water he’d been submerged in and shoves him right into the bathroom. Dan turns to get his toiletry bag from the bedroom, but Noah grabs his arms and pulls him right into a slow, deep kiss. Dan hums against his mouth, but gently pushes him back after a moment. “Get in the shower, lake boy.” 

Noah grins at him, and Dan turns away before he decides to get into the shower  _ with _ Noah—it’s definitely big enough for them both. 

By the time Noah gets out of the shower, wrapping a fluffy towel around his waist, Dan is in his own sleep clothes (a t-shirt one size too small that Noah definitely  _ knows _ Dan had been meaning to get rid of and a pair of pajama pants that Noah had bought him for his birthday) and finishing up the last step of his skincare. 

“Hi,” Noah says, bumping up next to him at the sink. The vanity is wide enough for the both of them to stand next to each other, and brushing their teeth together is… cozy. 

“Hi,” Dan replies as Noah grabs his toothbrush that Dan brought in from Noah’s bag in the bedroom. Dan picks up their toothpaste and nudges his shoulder against Noah’s, who holds out his own toothbrush. Dan squeezes some out for him, and Noah gives him a sweet kiss to the cheek in thanks. 

When they both slide under the cover, Dan expects Noah to pull him close as the little spoon. Instead, Noah grabs him by the hips and tugs hum down the bed so he’s laying flat. Dan gives a surprised yelp and flails his arms out to grip at the sheets. “Noah, what the fuck,” he gasps, but Noah doesn’t answer, just smirks at him and pulls on the waistband of his pants, tucking it under his balls. Dan is embarrassingly half-hard just from the two seconds of manhandling, and Noah licks his own palm and gets a hand around Dan’s dick, giving him a smooth stroke before leaning down and taking Dan all the way into his mouth. 

“ _ Jesus _ ,” Dan hisses, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. He gets his hands back in Noah’s damp hair, pulling hard so Noah moans around him. 

“Let me take care of you, babe,” Noah says after moving off. He slides a hand under Dan’s t-shirt and pinches at a nipple, and Dan melts into the bed, lets Noah suck him off lazily as he pets Noah’s hair and blinks sleepily at the ceiling. His orgasm surprises him, as it takes no time at all for Noah to make him come, and Dan groans quietly as he floods Noah’s mouth. 

Noah tucks Dan back into his pants and kisses his way over Dan’s torso before straightening out his shirt and settling himself half over Dan’s whole body. Dan gets a hand around the back of Noah’s neck and pulls him in for a slow, lazy kiss that’s more Dan’s tongue in Noah’s mouth than an actual kiss. Noah’s smiling against his lips, and eventually they settle down, too close for real sleep, but unwilling to move an inch away from each other. 

“This is nice,” Dan sighs, eyes drifting closed.  _ I could get used to this _ . 

*

Dan wakes up grumpily to an empty bed. The room is bright because they forgot to close the curtains last night, and Dan squeezes his eyes shut and tugs the covers back over his head. He thinks he hears Noah's footsteps up the stairs. "Dan," he whispers. "Your  _ amazing _ boyfriend made you coffee even though you think he doesn't know how to operate a household espresso machine."

Dan lets out a short laugh before he can even pretend to be asleep and throws the covers off his head. Noah looks adorable in plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt with a stretched-out collar that Dan thinks might actually be his own. He looks delicious. "Come back to bed," Dan says, voice hoarse from sleep. Noah sets two mugs down on the nightstand and crawls on his hands and knees across the huge bed to eventually straddle Dan over the covers.

"It's ten in the morning," he says simply. Dan widens his eyes.

"Are you serious?" 

Noah nods. "See what happens when you don't set your alarm for an ungodly hour?"

"Fuck, I think I missed a call!" Dan tries to move Noah, but Noah grabs his wrists and presses them back into the mattress above Dan's head.

"Nope, no calls."

"Noah, I'm  _ serious _ ." Dan definitely scheduled a call for this morning. He tries to pull his arm away, but Noah's grip on his wrists tightens enough to make him breathless. Noah leans down and bites at his lower lip.

" _ I'm _ serious," he breathes. "There's no meeting. I brought you here to relax, Dan. I talked to Leah and made sure you'd be able to. Trust me?"

Noah's tone of voice is making Dan's eyelids heavy and he sucks in a breath of air before answering. "I trust you," he lets out in a rush, sighing as Noah's mouth covers his. 

Dan moans into Noah’s mouth, rocking his hips up immediately, seeking friction against Noah’s dick. “Dan, you feel so good,” Noah sighs, grinding down into Dan. “Just—” He cuts himself off with a groan and releases Dan’s wrists to try to shove the covers and Dan’s bottoms down at the same time. Dan pushes hard at Noah’s chest, getting him flat on the bed, and gets rid of the blankets before climbing on top of him. He adjusts his position, rolling his hips down, until Noah lets out a growl and grabs at Dan’s ass roughly. “Fuck, Dan, fuck me,” he pants. 

“I—am—” Dan says, punctuating his words with thrusts of his hips down into Noah. He groans, too, and leans forward to plant a messy kiss off-center on Noah’s lips. Noah gets his hands around Dan’s face and holds him there, licking into Dan’s mouth. Dan pulls at Noah’s wrists, moves his hands down so Noah is grabbing his ass, urging him to help shove their hips together. “C’mon,” he mutters into their kiss, biting playfully at Noah’s lips and chin, licking along Noah’s  _ ridiculous _ facial hair and down to suck a bruise high on Noah’s neck. 

Noah slips a hand inside Dan’s briefs, giving his asscheek a squeeze and pulling Dan down against him. Dan feels Noah’s rough fingers rub at his hole and he pushes back against them. “Yeah,” Dan moans. “Fuck.” He’s about to pull at the sides of Noah’s shirt when Noah rears up so he’s sitting, Dan straddling his lap. This shifts where they’re pressed together, aligning their cocks perfectly. Dan gets his tongue inside Noah’s mouth, panting and whimpering as Noah scratches a hand up his back. 

“Daniel—” Noah cuts himself off and pulls away from their kiss to bite hard at Dan’s shoulder. Dan cries out, because it fucking  _ hurts _ , but the pleasure that shoots through him is  _ so _ worth it as Noah gentles the sting with soft, sucking kisses on the bitemark and up the side of his neck. Dan had been playing when he got on top of Noah, but the way Noah feels against him—hard and hot and so fucking good—has him close to coming in his underwear just from this. 

Noah spits on his own hand and gets it back on Dan’s ass, rubbing his now-slick fingers over Dan’s hole. Dan gasps, and then moans long and low when Noah gets a finger inside him, just the tip and he shudders hard as he comes in his boxer-briefs. 

“Fuck,” Dan groans rolling his hips through the last waves of his orgasm. “Noah.”

“Yeah,” Noah answers, nodding against the side of Dan’s face. He’s holding Dan close with one arm around his waist, and he maneuvers his other arm between them to pull out his cock; he slides his hand into Dan’s briefs, gets some of Dan’s come on his fingers. 

Dan twitches, sensitive, and Noah kisses his chest in apology and brings his come-covered hand to his own dick, smearing Dan’s release over the head and down the shaft. Dan moans quietly.

“You’re so fucking filthy,” he breathes as Noah jerks himself off with Dan’s come. Noah bites at Dan’s ear and curses and kisses wetly along Dan’s neck before he’s grunting and heaving Dan closer and then he’s coming over his own hand, getting Dan’s briefs messier than they already are. 

Dan lifts his head from Noah’s shoulder and Noah grins cheekily at him. Dan rolls his eyes. “Go ahead.” Noah kisses his cheek, hands resting lightly on Noah’s chest. 

Noah uses his clean hand to tug at the elastic of Dan’s underwear and wipes their combined come on Dan’s mostly soft cock. He ends up getting most of it on Dan’s belly, and takes a minute to rub it into Dan’s happy trail. Noah groans and leans up awkwardly to kiss Dan breathless, licking into his mouth, pressing in close. 

Dan indulges Noah, but only for so long. “Okay, babe, I think that’s good,” he mutters against Noah’s lips. Noah grins and scratches his fingers through the mess of them.

“Okay.” Noah lays back down and licks at a few of his fingers before wrapping his arms around Dan’s back and pulling so they’re flush together again, Dan’s weight stretched out along Noah’s body. Noah tucks his face into the crook of Dan’s neck, kissing the spot under his ear, tiny presses of lips over and over as Noah’s breathing finally returns to normal. 

Dan sighs into Noah’s hair, and shifts against him, his body hair pulling uncomfortably where they’re starting to stick together. 

“You’re gluing us together,” Dan murmurs and Noah makes a disappointed noise. 

“Okay,” he agrees, and Dan smiles at the obvious pout in his voice.

“Come on. Clean me up in that big shower,” Dan offers, kissing the top of Noah’s head.

“Okay.” Noah sounds much more agreeable, and the two carefully peel themselves apart and head to the bathroom. 

*

Noah cooks them eggs and toast for breakfast, or well,  _ lunch _ , and Dan briefly wonders where the food actually came from, but decides not to ask. No conference calls, and no wondering where he needs to be for his next lunch or dinner meeting turns out to be a pretty chill state of being. He hasn't been able to locate his phone, so it's either in the car or Noah has confiscated it because he's a troll. 

Dan trusts Noah, though. So he grabs a fresh coffee and heads out to the deck where Noah is slathering on sunscreen. Dan sets his coffee down and groans dramatically as he stretches before collapsing into a chair. "Are you going swimming again?" Dan loves swimming, sure, but he does not, at all, love icky lakes. 

"It  _ is _ a lake," Noah teases. He hands Dan the tube of cream and turns to face away from him. “Back, please.” 

Dan tugs Noah down by his hips so he’s perched awkwardly on Dan’s knees. Mostly because Dan doesn’t really want to stand back up. He takes his time, making sure to get every spot, rubbing in slow circles, digging his thumbs into a few knots in Noah’s lower back. “Mm,” Noah grunted. 

“Okay, all set. Get your ass in the water, Reid."

"And what are you going to do while I'm swimming in the lake next to this lake house I've acquired for us?"

"I'm gonna watch you. Obviously."

Noah gives him half a wink and tosses his towel at Dan's head, leaving him sputtering as he saunters down the dock. 

*

Noah looks  _ good _ in the water. 

Dan had leaned his head back as if he was going to take a snooze, but one glimpse of Noah's pale skin slipping above the surface as he swims the length of the property is enough to make Dan sit back up with rapt attention. 

Noah looks... toned. Has he been working out? Dan thinks back to their morning in bed. Has Dan been so busy with his own bullshit to miss the fact that his boyfriend can probably pick him up and hold him against...

He stands abruptly. He walks down to the dock, standing near the edge as he watches Noah take a few more strokes in front of him. Noah bobs upright as soon as he notices Dan on one of his peeks out to breathe. "Hey," he says, breathing hard from the exertion. "Everything okay?" 

Dan is ready to proposition Noah, to tell Noah to meet him in bed, but instead what comes out is, "Have you been working out?" Dan’s voice sounds strangled even to his own ears, and Noah swims closer to the dock and climbs up the ladder to stand in front of him. 

"I told you, like, six weeks ago that I was going to start going to the gym again? Because all I did in the morning was mope around and miss you." Dan does remember, and he remembers being charmed at the time but—he didn't expect almost-buff Noah as a result. Even though that is, of course, how exercise works. Dan crosses his arms and looks down at them. He should probably start going to the gym, too. His forearms are nothing compared to Noah’s. He bets Noah could meet someone else with great arms at the gym. And better shoulders.

He doesn't say any of those things out loud.

"I'm going to go lie down," he whispers instead, turning away when Noah reaches out to touch his bicep and walking calmly back to the house, abandoning his coffee for the second time that day. 

*

He doesn't know why he's being so weird. It's not like he didn't know that Noah is attractive to other people—that he was attractive before he started to get fit again. Maybe Dan  _ should  _ start going to the gym. He flops over onto his stomach and pulls the blankets tighter around himself. He can hear Noah downstairs, doing something in the kitchen, and then he hears slow footsteps climbing the stairs. Dan pulls the covers over his head and tries very hard not to think about what his hair must look like given the fact that he didn't put any product in it that morning. 

Noah puts what Dan assumes is a glass of water on the nightstand before laying down next to him—he feels the bed dip with Noah's weight. 

"Hey," Noah says softly. Dan doesn't respond. What can he say?  _ 'Sorry I'm being weird because you're so hot?' _

Noah continues. "I would offer to stop going to the gym, but something tells me it's not entirely about that?" Noah tugs at the covers but he doesn't pull them off Dan. "Also I kinda like when you objectify me but pretend you’re not."

Dan flings the covers off his face. "Ex _ cuse _ me, I objectified you  _ way _ before you started going to some  _ gym _ ," he cries, only noticing Noah's smirk after he's finished. "I hate you," he says turning to face away from Noah.

"Come on," Noah cajoles and Dan feels him walk his fingertips along Dan’s bicep and over his shoulder, feels his hand clutch at the top of the blanket, ready to pull it away. "Can I come in?" Noah asks. “I changed into dry clothes.” There’s a hint of amusement in his voice, but Dan doesn’t mind. 

Dan wants to say no, he wants to wallow in his weird 'my boyfriend is too hot for me' anxiety, but the reality is he would never say no to Noah. He makes a quiet noise of assent and lets Noah lift the corner of the blankets and crowd into his space. Dan turns back to face him, can see that Noah wants to wrap his arms around him, but knows Noah’s holding back for Dan’s comfort. Dan sighs. “Okay,” he says, even though Noah hasn’t asked him anything, and presses himself into Noah’s chest, tucking his own head under Noah’s chin, and sighing again when he feels Noah finally embrace him. Noah is warm and solid, and Dan slips a hand down to Noah’s hip, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Just know that I didn’t want you to see this okay? You shouldn’t have to see my body shame spiral.”

A benefit, if you could call it that, of long-distance, is that Dan could often have these kinds of thoughts without anyone there to see him. He could hide alone in their bed and wait for the feelings to destroy him and then pass. And he could get out of bed and get into the shower and by the time he’s done his extra-long skincare routine, he’d be feeling back to normal and ready for a FaceTime date with his boyfriend. 

Noah doesn’t respond, just squeezes him tight, and they don’t talk again for several minutes. Dan just listens to Noah’s heartbeat and nuzzles his cheek soothingly against Noah’s bare shoulder. He considers Noah’s sensitive skin, but knows Noah likes stubble burn anyway so what’s the harm. After a while, Noah starts petting at the back of Dan’s head and Dan lets out a deep breath. “Tell me. Please.” Noah says softly.

Dan swallows a few times, staving off some big, gross, uninvited emotion that's caught in his throat. He clears his throat for good measure, but when he speaks his voice breaks anyway. "I hate that you're seeing me. Like this,” he says into Noah's neck. It's stifled and he hopes Noah can hear him because he's not saying it again. 

Dan can feel Noah's voice rumble where their chests are pressed together when he finally responds. "When you say 'like this,' what do you mean?" Noah rubs his hand soothingly up Dan's back and then back down again. Dan wants to pull away, wants to kiss Noah and distract them both so he can forget his whole thing and Noah can hopefully wipe it from his memory, too. If Dan had his way, Noah would be able to wipe away every instance of Dan's weird insecurity bullshit he's had to deal with. 

This line of questioning makes Dan want to snap at him. Why does he need more information? Why doesn't he just  _ know _ what Dan is trying to say? Why does Dan have to  _ say _ things out loud? What kind of world is this, anyway? 

Noah kisses the top of his head again, and Dan guesses he can give Noah a pass for not being a mind-reader. Just this  _ once _ , so Noah better learn quick. Dan takes a deep breath, inhaling everything he loves, and exhales slowly. 

"Like—" he starts quietly, "like  _ me _ ."

Noah squeezes him tighter, almost too tight, if there even was such a thing as being held too tightly by Noah Reid. "Can we look at each other? Or are we still in the no-eye-contact part of the conversation?" Noah asks, not unkindly, and Dan smiles into his neck. "I want to see you when I tell you this." Dan reluctantly pulls his face away from the safety of Noah and settles back against the pillows, letting Noah lean over him a bit. He likes this position, likes gazing up at Noah, for once. Noah fits his hand into the curve of Dan's jaw, holding him tightly. "Daniel," he starts, and his voice is way more serious than Dan expects. "I  _ only  _ want to see you like you."

Dan opens his mouth to what? To disagree? To tell Noah he can't possibly mean that? He settles on saying nothing and clicks his mouth shut. 

"Wow." Noah nods approvingly, sliding a hand down Dan's neck to his shoulder. "No pushback at all?"

Dan narrows his eyes. "Not at this time, no." He turns his head to pout away from Noah. 

"Hey," Noah says, cradling Dan's jaw again, forcing more soul-revealing eye contact. "I love you.  _ This  _ you."

Dan clears his throat and blinks up at Noah. He’s  _ not _ blinking away tears. “Yes, well—good.”

Noah huffs out a laugh and kisses his forehead, laying back down and pulling Dan back into his chest. Dan is drained from even this brief moment of vulnerability; he thinks he might take a nap… how nice it’d be to fall asleep with Noah holding him like this. Being in the same bed as Noah for so long is such a luxury, he doesn’t want to waste a second of it swimming or reading or anything else one does at a lake house. He wants to spend every waking and sleeping moment wrapped up in Noah. 

Dan rubs his face against Noah’s bare shoulder again and sighs. “I planned this trip so we could spend time together,” Noah says, “but also so you could get  _ out _ of your head a little bit. I’m kind of getting the impression that the lack of outside distractions is maybe doing the opposite.” Noah separates them a few inches. “I think I have something that might distract you for the rest of the day,” he says, and starts kissing tenderly along Dan’s jaw and up to his ear. Dan shivers and hums in pleasure. “Is this an appropriate moment,” Noah whispers, lips grazing the shell of Dan’s ear, “to make a dick joke?”

Dan is about to scoff and roll away from him, ready to grumble about his boyfriend’s uncanny ability to ruin both tender  _ and _ sexy moments, but Noah gets his tongue involved, licking his way back down Dan’s neck to the curve of his shoulder. “Because,” Noah murmurs against Dan’s skin and pauses, “the distraction is my dick.” Dan wants to roll his eyes and shove Noah away for being such a fucking  _ bro  _ but Noah’s hands are sliding down his body, now, to grip at the back of Dan’s thigh, hoisting it up around Noah’s waist. 

Noah seems to change his mind, though, about their position, because moments later he’s shoving Dan flat on his back. Noah kneels up over him, and rucks up Dan’s shirt, scratching his fingers through Dan’s chest hair, tugging at a few patches on his way to Dan’s nipples. Even now, years after they got together during  _ Schitt’s Creek _ , Dan is still a little self-conscious about his own body hair. He squirms under Noah’s heady gaze and his exploratory touch, and he feels muscle memory kick in and sucks in his stomach for a moment before Noah pinches both of his nipples, rolling and pulling them and grinning down at him as Dan tries to stifle his whimpers. Noah relents for a minute, bracketing Dan in with hands on either side of his head, as he leans down slowly, seductively, and kisses Dan like he never wants to do anything else with his mouth again. 

Opening his mouth to Noah, Dan groans and gets his hands into Noah’s damp hair, tangling his fingers in Noah’s curls, tugging hard enough for Noah to startle and bite down on Dan’s lip. Dan is mostly hard, nipple play is often embarrassingly enough to get him most of the way there, and he gasps when Noah grinds down against him. Noah licks into his mouth, licks at the bite spot on his lip, licks and bites down his jaw, before pulling away and shuffling down the bed, taking Dan’s sweats and underpants down with him. “Noah,” Dan breathes as Noah leans down again to kiss along the line of hair from his navel and downwards. Noah rubs his face against it, not for the first time, and Dan quakes beneath him, exposed and open with nowhere to hide as Noah buries his face into the crease of Dan’s hip, inhaling deeply. 

“ _ Fuck _ , Dan,” he groans, and Dan doesn’t know what  _ his _ problem is, because  _ he’s _ not the one being teased by his incredibly sexy boyfriend. “Sometimes I feel like you have no idea what you do to me.” He’s mouthing down Dan’s thigh, and Dan can’t concentrate. 

“What?” Dan says hazily. “Mmmph.” Noah bites his inner thigh.

Noah pulls back and then climbs off Dan to lay flat next to him. “C’mere,” he urges, pawing at Dan’s hip like he wants him to turn over. Noah shimmies out of his shorts. “Get on top of me.” Noah’s voice is a near whimper and when Dan looks, he can see Noah’s dick straining upwards, a drop of precome beading at the tip. 

Dan swings a long leg over Noah’s hips and settles on top of him, and he can’t resist rolling his hips down to slide their erections together. “Do you know why I like you like this?” Noah asks, stroking his hands up and down Dan’s thighs. 

“So I have to do all the work?” Dan quirks an eyebrow at him. Before Noah can shoot back an indignant response, Dan rocks his hips down again, smirking at the blissed-out look that falls over Noah’s face. 

Noah pinches at Dan’s hip. “ _ No,” _ he insists. “It’s so I can see your thighs,” he strokes them again, “and touch your chest,” he drags his hands heavily up Dan’s torso to his chest, “and think about coming right in here, right in this spot,” he scratches blunt nails through the hair under Dan’s navel and then cups Dan’s hips with both hands and urges him to shuffle forward, all the way up Noah’s body. Noah drops his mouth open and takes Dan’s cock as Dan gets his knees into place astride Noah’s face. 

Leaning forward to grip the headboard, Dan stifles a groan that starts deep in his chest; the heat of Noah’s mouth and the tight suction of his lips feel so good around Dan. Noah pulls him forward even more and Dan sinks in, all the way in, letting noises spill from his lips, unable to stop them. Noah is so good to him, for him, Dan thinks, sliding out of his mouth and then gently back in. Dan goes slowly, wants to be careful with Noah because Noah is being so careful with him.

Noah’s eyes are wide open, liquid heat, staring up at Dan as he squeezes at Dan’s ass, urging him to go faster. Dan obliges, but only just, picking up his pace slightly as Noah moves a hand to touch what Dan assumes is his own cock. He moans around Dan, and Dan goes a little faster, and soon he’s close to coming, but he doesn’t want that. He wants to come with Noah’s cock inside of him. 

He curls a hand around the back of Noah’s neck to stop him, pulling out slowly to see the trails of spit clinging to Noah’s lips and the tip of Dan’s dick. Noah’s grinning already, so smug, and Dan slips his fingers between Noah’s lips, sliding them over his tongue. “Want me to ride you?” Dan asks and Noah bites playfully at his fingertips. 

“You know I do,” he says around the fingers. Dan climbs off of him and grabs the lube that Noah had eagerly put on the nightstand as soon as they’d unpacked last night. He tosses it on the bed and then straddles Noah again, facing away from him. 

“Get me ready,” Dan demands, and then moves back a little so he can mouth at the base of Noah’s dick. Noah licks at him and moans as Dan takes his whole cock into his mouth, bobbing his head and drooling down his cock so things get messy. Noah loves things messy. 

Noah kisses over his hole, pressing his tongue against the sensitive rim, running his tongue down behind his balls and back up to his hole, ending in another filthy kiss. “Maybe I’ll just eat your ass until you come all over me,” he says, tongue-fucking him. Dan groans around Noah’s dick and pulls off to lick sloppily at the head. 

“Or you could  _ fuck _ me like I want,” he says, and Noah’s snorts against him. He slides a slick finger into Dan, biting gently at an asscheek. Dan lets out a long moan, dropping his head to Noah’s thigh, getting his mouth on whatever part of him he can without moving very much. Noah’s finger feels amazing, and Dan feels so full already with just one, but he wants more. 

“More,” he grits out, breathing hard against the stretch as Noah adds another finger and pets at Dan’s thigh with his other hand. 

“Can you hold yourself open for me, babe?” Noah asks, punctuating it with a kiss to his thigh. 

The position is awkward, but Dan can hold it for a bit, so he braces his cheek more comfortably on Noah’s thigh and reaches back to spread himself open. He shivers at Noah’s hum of approval, and Noah takes his free hand and wraps it around Dan’s cock. 

The onslaught of Noah everywhere knocks the breath from him again, and he can’t help but thrust his hips back in an aborted rhythm to fuck himself on Noah’s hand. A minute or an hour passes and Noah adjusts his fingers so he’s glancing over Dan’s prostate every few strokes and Dan is going to come soon. 

“Noah,” he moans, and he’s drooling on Noah’s hip and thigh. “Fuck me, please fuck me,” he pants. He moves to turn around, so he can sit on Noah’s cock, but Noah stops him. “Thought you wanted me to ride you.” Dan’s definitely not pouting. 

Noah grins. “Changed my mind, babe. On your back, please. Hold your legs.” He scoots out from under Dan and they switch places, Dan falls back with an  _ oomph _ and gets his hands under his knees. He’s always found this position fairly awkward, but Noah’s gaze, as it bores into him, heats him up from the inside and he forgets to feel weird about it. About anything.

“Ah,” Dan exhales sharply when Noah presses into him. He’s slick and perfect and Dan breathes through the slight stretch as Noah goes deeper, eyes never leaving Dan’s face. Dan grabs at Noah’s shoulder—and Noah grabs the knee he drops—digging his fingernails into his skin, biting his lip until Noah is flush against him. He groans as Noah’s pulls halfway out and fucks back in hard. “ _ Fuck _ ,” Dan gasps. “Ah—fuck—Noah,” he shouts at each maddening thrust. 

“God, Dan, you’re—fuck,  _ yeah _ ,” Noah says. “You feel so good.” He moans around the words and Dan smirks. Noah rolls his eyes and Dan gives a short laugh. 

Noah throws Dan’s legs over his shoulders, rearing up to get more leverage, and Dan’s laughter catches in his throat as Noah’s angle changes as he fucks into him. Dan rolls his eyes back, then squeezes them shut so he can focus on the feeling of Noah inside him and around him. Noah kisses at Dan’s ankle, scrapes his teeth over the skin there, and Dan trembles beneath him, gripping the sheets in his fists. 

He’s on the edge, and Noah must be able to tell because he starts jerking Dan’s cock, murmuring against the side of Dan’s leg before readjusting them so Dan’s legs are around Noah’s waist. Noah keeps fucking him, and he keeps  _ talking _ —

“Come on, Dan, you gonna come all over yourself? Look at you, so desperate—”

Dan moans in reply, hands coming up to tease at his own nipples.

“ _ Fuck _ , yeah. Play with your nipples, get them nice and hard for me,” Noah doesn’t stop fucking him and he doesn’t stop stroking his cock and Dan pinches and pulls at his nipples and Noah keeps talking, telling Dan how good he looks and how messy he’s going to be and Dan can’t take another second of it. His abs clench hard and his hips twitch up as he comes over his own stomach. He moans Noah’s name and clenches around the cock in his ass. 

Noah slows his thrusts, gentles his hand on Dan’s dick, and uses his other hand to smear Dan’s come all in his chest hair. He drags his hand down Dan’s torso, rubbing a thumb up and down the line of hair under Dan’s navel. He groans and Dan grins, because Noah is  _ filthy _ and sometimes it sends a thrill right up Dan’s spine. 

“You gonna come all over me, too?” He asks, a teasing lilt to his voice, knowing that yes Noah  _ absolutely _ is going to come all over him. Dan wipes at some of the come on his neck and sucks it into his mouth with a smirk. “C’mon,” he mutters. 

“Gonna mess you up,” Noah pants, sliding his cock out of Dan’s ass and jerking himself roughly. 

Dan scoops up more of his come, what’s not rubbed into his body hair, and licks it messily from his fingers, staring up at Noah. “Mess me up,” Dan says, as if it’s a challenge, and Noah shoves at Dan’s legs so they’re flat on the bed and then straddles Dan’s thighs and comes on Dan’s dick and abs and chest. He comes  _ a lot _ , way more than Dan could after the number of orgasms so far this weekend. 

Noah is still quaking when he reaches out to rub his release over Dan’s body, sliding it through the hair on his chest and down into the wiry hair around his cock. Dan shivers, because it feels good— _ he _ feels good—but it’s so much. He trembles under Noah’s touch, under Noah’s heavy gaze.

"I don't want some other version of you,” Noah says fiercely, hand squeezing at Dan’s waist. That, more than anything, makes Dan breathless, and he grabs at Noah’s shoulder and pulls him in for a biting kiss—full of so many things Dan doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to say.


	2. but i'm looking up to the sky

Dan wakes up to the sun low in the sky, blazing through a slit in the blinds, and groans as he stretches under the covers. The space next to him is empty, and he’s pretty sure he didn’t start his nap alone. He reaches over to the nightstand to grab his phone and his glasses, but only ends up with one of the two. Sliding his glasses on, he sits up to survey the bedroom. They’d gotten dressed in comfy clothes after their shower, but then after lunch Noah undressed them both again and made good on his earlier suggestion—he rimmed Dan until he came all over the towel Noah had conveniently spread under him. 

Noah had sweetly dressed him in his underwear again, and then tucked him into bed before slipping under the covers on the other side, getting right up in Dan’s space and nuzzling into his neck. Dan had grinned to himself, intending to tease Noah for being so clingy even though Dan was the one who’d just come his brains out, but his eyes had fluttered closed and he was asleep before he could make the joke. 

Yawning and wiping crusties from his eyes beneath his glasses, Dan gets up to find a few more pieces of clothing, pulls on sweats and a t-shirt and heads down the stairs in search of Noah. 

Noah “Grillmaster” Reid is on the deck in front of the huge barbeque grill, holding a giant spatula in one hand and… well, a giant beer in the other. His hair is sticking up on one side and he’s wearing an apron with a hotdog and its bun in a compromising position. “ _Whose_ house is this?” Dan asks in lieu of a greeting. Noah grins. 

“Hey, sleepyhead. You slept for three hours.” 

Dan hums in acknowledgment. “You gave me five orgasms in 24 hours, I think I deserved the nap.”

“Actually, I think that means _I_ deserve a nap?” Noah turns his attention back to the grill and flips what Dan notices are juicy burgers. His stomach rumbles. 

“Mm, if I recall, you were in bed with me… plenty of opportunities to nap while in bed,” Dan says sidling up behind Noah to kiss at the back of his neck. He’s wearing a shirt now, which is a shame, but Dan figures he can convince him to take it off with very little effort. 

Noah leans back into him, setting his beer down and reaching back to tangle his fingers in Dan’s hair, pulling his face close. “Wanted to get back in the water for a bit,” Noah murmurs, sighing as Dan slides his hands down the front of Noah’s thighs. 

“How’s the grilling?” Dan asks and Noah stands up straight again. 

“It’s fine. I know you have a lot of thoughts about grilling techniques but just… go inside and make yourself a drink okay? I promise you’ll be satisfied with my barbecue skills.”

“Oookay,” Dan says skeptically. “But those look a little done and you know I like mine medium.”

Noah glares at him. “Dan,” he says seriously, and Dan bites back a smile. “I know your burger preferences. Go get a drink and by the time you’re done mixing, dinner will be ready.” He leans in close to kiss Dan’s cheek and then turns his attention back to the grill.

*

Dan won’t be admitting this out loud, but his dinner is grilled to perfection. Apparently Noah had made a salad as well, and Dan munches on a tomato wedge as he listens to Noah talk about his new album, what songs he’s recorded already what he thinks will make the final cut. Dan’s about to head inside to get them more drinks before he realizes that they’re supposed to be… leaving tonight. 

“Hey, what time are we leaving tonight? Meaning do you want another beer—or—” Dan cuts himself off because Noah is smiling at him, and it’s weird, and Dan is concerned. 

“Do you want to leave?” Noah asks, draining the last of his beer. Dan raises his eyebrows.

“Is that a trick question?” 

“No. Do you want to leave?” Noah is staring at him, eyes wide and searching, almost desperate, and Dan is shaking his head _no_ before he decides to move at all. 

“Can we even stay? What about—”

“We can stay,” Noah whispers, and reaches for Dan’s hand, tangling their fingers together. “Sarah is keeping Reddy. I’ve got the house all weekend. We can go to the market in the morning for some more food. Easy.”

Dan bites his lip and looks away. _Easy_. “I’ll… need my phone for a bit…” 

Noah laughs lightly, pulling his hand away. “I am so surprised that it’s taken you just about 24 hours to bring it up again. I thought for sure I’d be fighting you every hour.” Noah is still grinning, but the observation makes Dan a little sick. He knows, of course he knows, that Noah is right, that normally he’d be chomping at the bit for his phone and the Wi-Fi password. He’s not sure why he’s… not. 

But he is sure that he needs a little bit of time to catch up, otherwise the pile of follow-ups and replies will be overwhelming on Sunday night, when he’s on his couch with only Redmond and a glass of wine to keep him company.

Dan gives his head a shake. “Maybe… maybe tomorrow while you, um, swim… I can do some work. Just like an hour. One hour and then I’ll be cut off again and you can find something else to occupy me. That worked really well this afternoon,” Dan says.

Noah hums. “It did, didn’t it?”

“Yes—well.” Dan takes a sip of his drink, which is now mostly just melted ice, and chokes on a cube.

“ _Or_ , you could come for a swim? It’s just you and me out here, Dan. Plus, those swim shorts I found in your drawer are _very_ short and I’d like to see them on.” Noah made the face he makes when he’s trying too hard to be flirty—which mostly looks like a grimace, though Dan usually falls for it every time. 

“I will _think_ about it,” he offers. “Also, I have _several_ swim shorts, and I know you picked the shortest ones on purpose.”

“‘Kay,” Noah says and stands, picking up his empty beer bottle and Dan’s glass of melted ice. “I’ll get the next round.” 

*

Tipsy from heavy-handed cocktails, Dan sits on the couch waiting for Noah to bring him ice cream. Noah promised it was in the freezer, but Dan didn’t think they’d brought any with them. He takes another sip of his drink, tells himself this is the last one, lest he be hungover for a minute of their trip. He wants to be 100% for anything Noah might want to do, even if it’s just laying on this couch for hours. 

Before Dan can get caught up thinking about their limited time together, Noah ambles in from the kitchen with a huge bowl of ice cream and a fresh beer. He also has a bottle of water tucked under his arm, which Dan agrees is a good idea. 

“Hey, babe,” Noah greets, even though they just saw each other seven minutes ago when they were cleaning up from dinner. 

“Hi.” Dan feels like his cheeks are going to cramp up from all the smiling he’s been doing the last 24 hours. “I see you weren’t lying about the ice cream.”

Noah looks scandalized. “Would I lie to you about _ice cream_?”

Dan presses his lips together and doesn’t answer, just helps himself to the bowl to take a look at what they’re working with. Looks like chocolate chip cookie dough. Dan scoops himself a spoonful and feels Noah’s eyes on him. He groans as he chews and swallows, letting his eyes slip closed briefly. 

“You’re a menace, gimme that,” Noah says, tugging the bowl back.

“Hey!” Dan cries. “You’re the one who only got one bowl! What were you thinking?”

“I was _thinking_ we could _share_.”

Dan opens his mouth to explain what a terrible idea _that_ is, but Noah’s face does the thing that means there’s something he’s not saying. Noah rolls his eyes. “Just shut up and let me feed you ice cream, okay?”

Dan presses his lips together for a moment and nods, turning to sit cross-legged on the couch, facing Noah. 

Noah ends up feeding him most of the ice cream, though he does take a few bites for himself, and Dan is happy and full and so fucking in love as they tuck each other into bed.

*

Dan sleeps in again the next morning and wakes up to Noah pressing gentle kisses to his shoulders, and along the back of his neck. Dan smiles into his pillow. “Hello,” he says, voice muffled. “This is a nice surprise.”

“What’s surprising about it?” Noah murmurs against his hairline, sending shivers through him. 

“It’s just a nice way to wake up, is all,” Dan says, ending on a quiet groan. 

“What if I told you,” Noah starts, sliding his hands under the front of Dan’s t-shirt, “that you slept late again,” he drags his hand over Dan’s chest, “and I went to the bakery in town,” he scratches lightly over a nipple, “and the coffee is almost ready…”

Dan moans exaggeratedly, only half-joking, because Noah’s hands on him and the mention of coffee and baked goods are enough to get him worked up. Noah gentles his hand, sliding it down Dan’s torso to cup him through his underwear. “The croissants are fresh, Daniel, do you think you can be quick?” He’s rubbing at Dan’s dick and Dan’s getting harder, pushing his hips back into Noah. 

“Touch me,” Dan breathes. “I can be quick.” 

Noah gives a low chuckle, breath tickling Dan’s ear and drawing a moan from deep in Dan’s chest. “Yeah you can,” he says, and then he’s gone for a moment, but not long enough for Dan to turn around and ask him just what the fuck he thinks he’s doing taking his hands off Dan’s body. When he presses himself against Dan again, Dan can feel he’s not wearing pants anymore. Noah must have found the lube, because when shoves his hand into Dan’s underwear, it’s cool and slick and delicious and Dan fucks his hips forward right away, letting Noah’s thumb slide wetly over the head of his dick. 

“Yeah,” Dan sighs, and he keeps fucking Noah’s fist, and Noah keeps whispering filthy praise into his ear and Dan is already so close, Noah always gets him there so fast and—

“God, Dan, I fucking love making you come. C’mon,” Noah growls and bites at Dan’s earlobe. Dan chokes out a strangled moan and reaches back to clutch at Noah’s head, hips stuttering forward as he comes over Noah’s fist. Noah barely slows down, and soon Dan is whining at the overstimulation and trying to squirm away. Noah huffs out a laugh and pulls his messy hand away. 

“Wait,” Dan says when he feels Noah get a hand on himself. “I know what you’re thinking and it’s not happening.” He grunts as he turns over. 

Noah smirks at him. “And what am I thinking?” He has the hand he’d used on Dan wrapped around his own dick, slowly stroking himself. Dan leans close and kisses him, pressing into him until he’s lying flat on the bed. 

“You’re thinking you’re gonna come all over my ass and then I’ll have to shower but I think you know me well enough to know that I’m not waiting for those croissants. So,” Dan slides down Noah’s body. “I’m gonna suck you off and you’re gonna come and then we’re gonna eat—do _not_ make a dick joke—” Dan cuts himself off by sinking down onto Noah’s cock, moaning at the taste of himself, his lips meeting Noah’s fingers where they’re tight around the base. 

“Fuck, Dan,” Noah groans. “Yeah, suck me.” Dan moans in the affirmative and Noah slides his fingers through Dan’s messy hair. Dan gets a good rhythm, makes it sloppy just for Noah, with spit dripping down his chin, precome smeared across his lips as he licks gently at the head. “Dan,” Noah says again, and Dan looks up at him through his lashes. 

Noah looks desperate and wrecked and it’s only been like three minutes and Dan is incredibly pleased and he scratches his nails over Noah’s hips and Noah tugs at his hair, tries to pull him up. “Wanna—” Noah moans, high and reedy. “Wanna come on your face,” he whines. Dan pulls off with a wet sucking noise. 

“I want your come in my mouth,” Dan says, tonguing the slit. Noah groans like Dan is torturing him, but he’s only trying to negotiate here. 

“Come here, come here,” Noah says, pulling at Dan’s shoulders. Dan goes willingly, always does when Noah’s this frantic, and gasps when Noah shoves him back on the bed. He kneels up next to Dan, and he looks gorgeous. Dan slides a hand along Noah’s thigh, around to squeeze at his ass. Noah is stroking himself, fast and rough, and Dan wants him to slow down, wants to watch Noah come apart. 

He also wants croissants, so he closes his eyes and drops his mouth open and lets his tongue rest on his bottom lip, half out of his mouth. 

Noah gets a hand in Dan's hair, angling his face where he needs it, and he’s cursing now, eyes squeezing shut for a moment and then he’s coming on Dan’s face and coming in his mouth and fitting the tip of his cock between Dan’s lips. Dan’s sucks him through it, urging Noah to fuck his mouth with the hand still groping Noah’s ass. 

Noah is moaning and panting and petting at Dan’s hair and smearing the last drops of his come across Dan’s lips. Eyes still closed, Dan licks the come off his lips, off the head of Noah’s cock. Dan feels Noah drops back to sit on his heels with a sigh, and he runs his hand through Dan’s chest hair. He’s drawing mindless shapes on Dan’s chest and it’s mildly tickling, but Dan knows Noah is itching for something else. “Go ahead,” he croaks out and Noah huffs out a laugh as he gently wipes at a streak of come by Dan’s eye. 

Happy to be able to look at Noah again, Dan blinks his eyes open and holds Noah’s gaze as he sucks the mess off Noah’s thumb. Dan keeps his eyes on Noah as he gathers his come from Dan’s cheek and pushes it into his mouth, onto his tongue. He continues, carefully, somewhat methodically, to collect his come and feed it to Dan. 

Dan accepts each bit dutifully, sucking the bitter-salty taste from Noah’s fingers, almost preening under Noah’s appraising look. When he’s done, Noah leans down to kiss him, tongue sweeping into Dan’s mouth, messily licking out the come that Dan hasn’t managed to swallow yet. 

Noah stretches on top of him, one hand still clutching at Dan’s hair. He kisses over Dan’s cheek, his jaw, kissing wetly up to Dan’s forehead, like he’s making sure his lips cover every inch of Dan’s face. Dan is clutching at Noah’s hips, pressing bruises into his skin, and he feels Noah shift against him, as if he actually might get hard again.

Before Dan can say “ _absolutely not,”_ his stomach growls, startling a laugh out of him and causing Noah to roll away with a giggle. “Okay, point taken,” Noah says, leaning to drop another kiss to Dan’s forehead. “Be right back, babe. Stay put.”

*

Dan climbs back into bed—per Noah’s instructions—after getting cleaned up and half-dressed, just in time for Noah to return with a cup of coffee and a tray full of toasted, buttered croissants and a few decadent looking donuts that he sets down on the bed. Dan takes the coffee from him and sets it on the side table, scooting further up the bed and sitting cross-legged so he can pull the tray in front of him. Noah settles next to him and leans over to kiss Dan’s shoulder and neck and cheek, probably summoning a flush to all three. Dan can’t wipe the smile off his face. Noah has done so much to make this weekend perfect for Dan and it _is_ and Dan doesn’t even want to _think_ about what will happen when they have to get back to the Real World. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath, inhaling the smell of toast and coffee and too-sweet chocolate icing.

Almost on cue, Noah hands Dan his phone. “This is for you. Don’t get attached,” he teases, and Dan smirks, but sets it over on the nightstand and turns his attention back to the spread in front of him. His mouth is watering, and it’s only partly due to Noah’s half-naked body pressed against him, so he reaches out to take a pastry. Noah makes a noise of protest and grabs his hand, bringing it to his mouth to press a kiss to his knuckles. He sets it back in Dan’s lap.

Dan doesn't really know what Noah’s plan is, but he keeps his hands in his lap, watches Noah pick up half of a croissant and pull a bite-sized piece off—keeps watching as Noah brings the piece to Dan’s mouth. Dan takes the bite, licking too much at Noah’s fingers, being thorough where butter is concerned, and chewing slowly as Noah pulls off another piece and pops it into his own mouth. Dan can hear the crisp edges of the croissant crunching as Noah chews, and Dan picks up his coffee, cupping the mug in his hands, as he accepts another piece from Noah's fingers. 

They finish breakfast this way, and it's sweet and quiet and it makes Dan annoyingly melancholy, thinking about their short timeline in this pretty perfect bubble Noah's created for them. Dan is grateful, and he tries to focus on that as Noah finally breaks off a piece of donut—getting chocolate on his fingers and Dan's mouth—and not on the fact that in probably less than 24 hours they'll be saying goodbye for who knows how long again. 

Noah must see something on his face, or just feel something in the air, because he leans in for a gentle kiss, a perfect press of lips made better by smears of chocolate, and Dan makes a truly embarrassing whine-sob at the tenderness of it all. He doesn't want Noah to pull away, to _look_ at him, but Noah does—look at him—and grins before kissing his nose. "You've got one hour with your phone, I'll clean up and hop in the shower. Then you can shower and we'll head to the store to get some food for today."

For all of his boyish grins and general cheerful vibe, his tone gives away his feelings that this is all coming to an end too soon. Pleased that Noah is feeling the same way, but unhappy that Noah is unhappy at all, Dan kisses his forehead and nuzzles against his cheek. "Okay," he agrees, nudging Noah out of the way to get off the bed and pull on whatever clothes he finds on the floor. He's looking forward to wearing a hopefully presentable and fresh outfit today. And he's kind of looking forward to leaving the house which—bizarre.

*

Emails answered and appointments confirmed, Dan takes a quick shower and does a brief version of his skincare routine before heading into the bedroom to find something to wear that's not pajamas.

Noah packing Dan’s bag is a terrifying concept overall, but discovering that Noah had packed all of the items he specifically liked to see on Dan was both charming and very annoying—because guess what? They're not staying in the Italian countryside for the weekend, so the three white, linen button-up shirts Noah had packed and half folded are not exactly the type of outfit he'd had in mind when he looked through his bag post-shower. Dan can't help but smirk to himself, though, because Noah clearly intended to keep Dan in bed for the entirety of the weekend, if the numerous pairs of sweatpants are any indication. He finds a pair he'd feel comfortable wearing out in public and pairs it with a t-shirt he's never seen before which must be Noah's. And Noah must have purposely put it in _Dan's_ bag in hopes he'd wear it. Noah had been so good to him the last two days that the least Dan can do is wear a t-shirt for him.

It turns out to be good for Dan, too, because when Noah joins him back in the bedroom from wherever he was in the house hiding Dan's phone, and gets an eyeful of Dan in his clothes, he crowds Dan up against the dresser and presses his nose to the sensitive spot under Dan's ear. "Mmmm," he hums. "You look _good_."

Dan cradles the back of Noah's head, scratching lightly through the still-damp curls, and tilts his own head a little so Noah has better access. "I guess you just have a knack for packing my bag. Though I _am_ wondering why there are no _actual_ pants in there," Dan mutters, gasping quietly when Noah starts sucking a hickey into his skin. "We are never going to leave if you keep it up."

"Okay," Noah says, and it sounds like he agrees, but he doesn't move, just doubles down on Dan's neck. 

" _Okay_ ," Dan says with a laugh, pushing Noah back. "I want to buy snacks." Noah looks like he wants to protest but he doesn't, just heads over to where his duffle bag is laying half toppled over on the armchair in the corner and finds a t-shirt to throw on.

"Okay, let's go," he says, and walks out of the room. 

*

They hold hands in the store, which is more of an indoor farmers market than a grocery store, and Dan pulls Noah along to nearly every booth. Noah follows, and Dan feeds him samples of cheese and bread and baked goods. They buy steaks for dinner, and Dan insists on prosciutto, and they buy some veggies for haphazard crudités, and Dan allows himself three different kinds of cheese after confirming with Noah they'll be able to properly transport the leftovers back home even though they both know there will be no leftovers. Dan samples some wine and buys them three bottles.

The ride back to the house is nice, comfortably quiet and peaceful, and Dan holds Noah's hand over the console the whole time. They part to get out of the car and head into the house, but Dan catches Noah's hand again as they walk up the long walkway to the front door. He distracts Noah while he's trying to get the keys in the lock by crowding up behind him and pressing fluttering kisses to the nape of his neck, nosing curls out of the way to get to warm skin. Noah giggles but manages to unlock the door to let them in, and they each go about putting their various spoils away. Dan immediately gets out a knife and starts slicing cheese.

"Hey," Noah says, sidling up next to him and waiting for Dan to put the knife down. Dan obliges and Noah wraps him up and Dan can't keep the smile off his face as he settles into the embrace. 

"Hi," Dan replies, petting along Noah’s forearms. "Can I help you with something? The cheese and I were kind of in the middle of something."

Noah laughs. "Yes, I know. But I was thinking..." He trails off, but doesn't elaborate. 

Dan waits a few more beats. "You were thinking...?" He prompts. The cheese is waiting, after all.

"You _did_ say you'd think about… the lake?" Dan frowns. He had forgotten about that. He glances back to his cheese, but then makes the mistake of glancing at Noah again—Noah with his gorgeous eyes and his pouty look and his familiar grin when he realizes he's won. Dan scoffs.

" _Ten minutes_ ," Dan insists. "And then it's cheese time. And if the water is freezing cold I will murder you and throw you _in_ the damn lake." He stalks off towards the bedroom but can't suppress a smile in the face of Noah's joyous laughter as he puts the cheese away.

*

"Let's just sit on the edge, okay? To start. Just hang out near the water to get used to its presence," Noah says pulling Dan down the dock. Dan's slathered in sunscreen, still in his t-shirt with a big beach towel tucked under his arms. He peers skeptically out into the water from behind his sunglasses. Noah folds himself down, letting his feet dangle. 

"Its presence?" Dan asks, raising an eyebrow, but he spreads out his towel and sits down next to Noah anyway. 

Noah doesn't respond just pulls Dan in close with an arm around his waist. "See. It's nice."

Dan nods slowly. "Yes. _This_ is nice. But _this_ is not me surrounded by cold dark waters filled with... creatures.” 

“Yes, I’ve read about the Lake Rosseau creatures before,” Noah teases, slipping his hand up Dan’s bare leg.

" _Okay_ ," Dan said, shoving Noah's hand away. "You go in first." Noah jumps up and strips off his t-shirt, taking a few steps back. He smiles toothily at Dan before taking a deep breath and running full speed toward the end of the dock, leaping with a shout and splashing into the dark water. Dan squawks at the droplets that come flying at him, and he stands quickly but carefully and takes a few steps away from the edge of the wooden boards. He's glaring at Noah when he surfaces, tossing his hair back like a _boy_. "There's a ladder you know!" Dan calls out to him as he pulls his shirt off and turns his back so he can step down said ladder. 

He's taking his time, even though the ladder only has about five rungs, and he nearly falls into the damn lake when Noah swims up behind him and walks his fingers quickly up the back of Dan's thighs. Dan kicks a leg out on instinct and catches Noah's shoulder. Noah makes a dramatically wounded noise and throws himself back out into the water.

Dan ignores him, because he deserved it, and he finishes making his way into the surprisingly warm water. He _did_ think Noah was lying about that. Dan swims in a small arc around the end of the dock, and is suddenly startled by the eerie quietness of his surroundings. Did Noah come up from the water and go back under? Dan treads water, turning his body to look out across the lake. "Noah?" He calls hesitantly. If Noah's gotten himself eaten by a lake monster, Dan is going to kill him. 

All of a sudden Dan feels a sharp tug on his leg and he goes plunging into the water, head all the way under, and then he's sputtering and gasping for air as he surfaces again a second later. Noah swims into his field of vision and Dan puts all the heat behind his glare he can muster. "What the fuck!" He yells, smacking Noah hard on the shoulder. Noah is barely containing his laughter, and that's _it_. Dan tried to do a _nice_ thing and join his loving boyfriend in this stupid lake and what does he get in return? 

A boyfriend who pretends to be a lake monster and nearly _drowns_ him. 

Noah swims close to him and wraps his arms around Dan's neck, legs around his waist, forcing Dan to hold his weight. "Gotcha."

Dan pointedly looks away, turning his head to stare off into the distance. "I hate you."

"Awww, babe, don't hate me. I love you,” Noah coos, pressing his face into Dan's neck. "I'll make it up to you later, okay?"

Dan scoffs. "As if you weren't already going to ask me to fuck you later. I know you, Noah Reid." He means it to be playful, and sarcastic, and flirty but when Dan finishes talking, Noah's looking at him with wide, soft eyes, a small smile playing on the edges of his pink lips. 

"I know you do," he whispers back and then he's kissing Dan, in a lake, for all that he's worth—like he’s worth a lot. Dan clutches at Noah's ass and brings one hand up to the back of his head, adjusting their angle and opening his mouth for Noah's searing tongue. 

Dan’s still treading water, and holding them both up isn’t that easy, so Dan floats them over to the ladder so he can hold on. Noah pushes him so his back is against it, and Dan can feel Noah’s hands grip the rungs his behind his head, and then Noah’s shifting his hips, rubbing himself against Dan. 

Dan groans. “Babe, I _cannot_ get it up again. Also, you’re _dreaming_ if you think I’m doing _anything_ sexy in this lake.”

Noah pulls away and frowns. “Okay, old man. But for the record, everything you do in this lake is sexy.” He does his half-wink thing and Dan _is absolutely not_ charmed by it. He shoves Noah back, turning to climb up the ladder, nearly slipping when Noah squeezes his ass. Dan glares at him but does appreciate Noah’s appreciation of his assets. 

Dan picks up his towel and shakes it out, but before he can wrap it around himself, Noah is pulling it from his hands and wrapping it around Dan's shoulders like a blanket. He rubs up and down Dan's arms for a few moments and Dan bites back a smile because it's really very cute. Dan looks around.

"Did you not bring a towel?" He asks, raising his eyebrows. 

"It's up on the deck. I like to air dry on the way up."

*

It's freezing in the house when they walk into the kitchen, because they're wet and the A/C is on full blast because that's just the kind of person Dan is. Dan makes a _brrr_ sound and Noah agrees, pulling Dan on a quick detour from the cheese so they can rinse off and put on real clothes.

Dan's in a cozy sweater and sweatpants, slicing cheese and spreading spreads and arranging fruit and crackers, and Noah is in a t-shirt and shorts hovering nearby and plucking food off Dan's tray and feeding it to him while he preps. It's a little counterproductive, Dan thinks, but like hell he's gonna suggest Noah stop. "Wine?" Noah asks, pushing a grape past Dan's lips. Dan nods and chews, and he can't stop smiling. Noah grins back and grabs one of the bottles from the market, making somewhat of a show of him opening it. Dan's onto him, but he admires the bulge in Noah's biceps anyway, the strain in his forearm, and the column of his throat when he throws his head back in obnoxious victory for conquering the wine bottle. 

He leaves Noah in the kitchen to pour their wine and brings the tray out to the living room. The TV is humungous, and Dan intends to watch Food Network for the rest of the afternoon, and he fully expects Noah to spend the entire afternoon back in the water. 

What actually happens, however, is Noah settles down next to Dan and they eat cheese and crackers and fruit and spreads and drink wine, and refill their wine, and then Noah falls asleep basically in Dan's lap. Dan maneuvers them so they're both horizontal and Noah mumbles some nonsense about cheese—but Dan had already moved the cheese safely to the coffee table. Dan is pressed flush against the back of the couch, spooned up behind Noah with his arms tight around Noah's waist. He's a little concerned that Noah's gonna fall off—the couch is big but Noah sometimes flails in his sleep. 

Dan buries his face in the back of Noah's damp hair, and he smells like a lake, even though they rinsed off, but Dan inhales deeply anyway, pressing closer when Noah makes another mumbly noise in his sleep. He holds Noah a little tighter, squeezing his eyes shut, too, trying to keep everything here and close and maybe if he holds tight enough he can just slow everything down and they can stay like this for—for a long, long time. Dan takes another deep breath, but it's shaky now, and he lets it out slowly to stave off the impending sob he can feel heavy in his chest. 

Noah mumbles again, making Dan smile, and he thinks about the steaks they bought for dinner, and the veggie dip they have as a cooking snack, and the rest of the evening spent with Noah next to him and around him and Dan falls asleep still smiling. 

*

It's dusk when Dan wakes up again, and he blinks as Noah's face comes into focus. "Hi," Noah says, and he's smiling and Dan smiles back.

"Hey."

Noah rakes his fingers through Dan's no doubt very messy hair and reels Dan in for a deep, slow kiss, pulling a throaty groan from his lips. "Mmm," Dan says. "What was that for?"

Noah's eyes shine at him. "Have I ever needed a reason before?"

It's a fair point. "Okay." Dan kisses him, slips him tongue, and gets him worked up enough to where he's shifting his hips against Dan's thigh. He gets a hand between their chests to pinch and pull at one of Noah’s nipples through his shirt, and Noah bites down on his lip in retaliation. “C’mon, sit up for me,” Dan mumbles against his mouth, nudging Noah in the right direction. 

Once he’s seated, Dan slides to the floor between his legs, and Noah’s eyes widen, his hands settling into Dan’s hair. Dan smirks, and takes Noah by the wrists, plants his hands on the cushion on either side of his knees. “Why don’t you just keep those there, okay?”

Noah’s eyes light up, easily excited by the idea that they’re playing a game. “Yeah?” Noah asks. “You got everything under control, huh?”

Dan doesn’t respond, just tucks his fingers inside the waist of Noah’s pants and gives them a tug. Noah arches his back to lift his hips, and Dan pulls his pants and underwear all the way off, dropping them to the floor with a slight flourish that makes Noah laugh. He smooths his hands up Noah’s thighs, rubbing at the muscles, pushing Noah’s legs wider so he can settle between them. 

Noah’s getting hard, twitching a little already, and Dan leans forward to scrape his excessive stubble along the top of Noah’s thigh. He noses at Noah’s balls, breath hot on the sensitive skin, and licks around one, making Noah squirm. He laps at the base of Noah’s dick, sucking one of Noah’s balls into his mouth, letting it get messy and spit-slick. He moves over to the other side, hyper-aware of Noah’s harsh breathing above him, and repeats his teasing. Noah shifts his hips and Dan grins. He’s definitely going to win. 

He takes a deep breath and runs the tip of his tongue up the underside of Noah’s cock, focusing on the head for a moment before licking back down to the base. He hums against Noah, smirking to himself as Noah grunts at the sensation. “You okay, babe?” Dan asks, but he doesn’t look up. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? Are you sucking my dick or something?” Noah responds, and Dan rolls his eyes and bites at Noah’s thigh. He sucks and licks his way down to Noah’s knee, and then switches legs and makes his way back up, delighting in the sound of Noah’s labored breathing and quiet groans. Once he’s back at Noah’s dick, he licks at his balls again before sucking up to the tip, fitting his lips over the head, and swallowing him down. Noah groans and Dan makes a pleased hum around him, before pulling back to tongue at Noah’s slit. 

Noah squeezes his knees around Dan and that’s what does it. Dan takes Noah all the way in again, relaxing his throat when the head of his dick bumps against it. He breathes heavily through his nose, pulling off and then sucking Noah back down, getting a good, fast rhythm going. Noah is making tiny whimpers, trying to stifle his enjoyment, but his hands are clenched tightly in the couch cushion. 

Dan backs off. “Noah,” he says, voice low and teasing, “you know there’s no one else here.” He leans up and tugs Noah’s bottom lip out from between his teeth. “No need to keep quiet. Let me hear you, baby.”

Noah’s hips twitch up at that, and he groans loudly. Dan leans back in kissing his way down Noah’s shaft and back to his balls, pulling one into his mouth. Noah gasps Dan’s name, and Dan slides his hands farther up Noah’s thighs to press him into the couch. He presses his thumbs into Noah’s hips _hard_ , the way Noah likes. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Noah gasps again and he loses control of a hand and tangles it in Dan’s hair, tugging insistently but not enough to pull Dan away. Dan grins up at him and Noah just pants. “Ugh, just shut up and make me come.”

Well—Dan considers pulling away and making him wait just for _that_ , but his knees hurt a little and he _wants_ Noah to come. That was the whole game and Dan is about to win. He sucks Noah down, spit that collected his mouth dripping down the length of him and he gets back into his rhythm, still gripping Noah’s hips, letting the head of Noah’s cock hit the back of his throat. Noah’s hands tighten in his hair and Dan knows he’s close. He hums and slides his hands up Noah’s chest, under his t-shirt. It messes up his rhythm, but he gazes up at Noah and pinches his nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. 

“Dan,” Noah moans. “Fuck you look so good— _fuck_ I’m gonna come in your mouth.” Noah slides a hand down Dan’s cheek and presses his fingers to Dan’s lips where they’re stretched around his cock. “—Gonna come,” he whispers again, and Dan bobs a few more times on his dick, tugs hard on Noah’s nipples and then Noah’s pulling his hair again. “ _Oh_ —fuck, Dan, I’m—” He thrusts hard into Dan’s willing mouth and Dan feels his come spill in the back of his throat, warm and thick and Dan shivers with Noah as he comes and comes. 

Noah collapses back against the couch, boneless, and Dan lets his dick slip from his lips. He licks at the head, gathering drops of come he might have missed, cleaning Noah’s cock as it gets soft. Satisfied with his work, and pleased when Noah jerks from oversensitivity, Dan sits back. 

Noah’s head is tipped back on the couch, and Dan smirks. “Well, you look relaxed.”

“Hmph.” Noah rolls his head forward. “Yes, well. It’s been a long day.” Dan laughs.

“Sure, Jan. I’ll get you some water for your recovery,” he teases and stands up.

"Wait," Noah says weakly. "I'm s'posed to be doing stuff for you."

Dan stops in the threshold of the kitchen. "Mm, it doesn't look like you'll be doing much of anything for a bit," he says smugly.

*

For all that Noah complains about Dan's backseat grilling, Noah is _absolutely_ worse, in Dan's opinion. 

_"Did you salt it?"_

_"Okay, but how high is the flame?"_

_"Did you set the timer?"_

Noah is one question away from being banished inside until Dan's finished grilling, but then Noah presses up behind him, and noses into the hair at the base of Dan's neck, and lays tiny kisses along his hairline, and Dan nearly gets his hand burned off in a flare-up. "Okay, I love you, but you have to go inside," Dan says and Noah backs away a step. Dan turns his head to make sure Noah _does_ go inside, and he's startled by the smile on Noah's face.

"What?" Dan asks. "I just need to focus before your precious steak is a degree over medium."

"Okay, babe," Noah says and darts in to kiss Dan's cheek before grabbing his beer and heading inside. 

"Make the veggie tray!" Dan calls after him before focusing fully on their entrees.

*

"Okay, so, you were right." 

Dan raises an eyebrow as he chews his steak. "Go on," he mumbles, gesturing with his fork.

"You... can grill a steak."

Dan swallows. Noah is the one who usually grills when they’re together, because Dan enjoys watching him look so pleased about it. Dan isn’t _incompetent_. "Oh, I _can_ grill a steak. Is that what you're saying? That even though I don't go _camping_ or do other wilderness-y things, that I’ve actually learned how to cook a piece of red meat to the specifications of my long-term boyfriend who I've known for years and years and thus know how he likes his steak cook—"

"Okay!" Noah is giggling behind the neck of his beer bottle and Dan is pleased about both the steak and the smile.

"Hmph." Dan grabs another veggie from the plate and slathers it in the dip. 

"Oh, by the way," Noah starts, grabbing a cucumber slice for himself. "Did you miss anything important in the 24 hours you were without your phone?" Noah is smirking but Dan thinks he’s probably actually a little concerned.

“No,” Dan admitted. Most of it was bullshit he can deal with when he gets home tomorrow—and just _thinking_ about being at his house without Noah makes his heart ache. He gives his head a little shake as his mind wanders to an email he’d received from the studio. He doesn't need to deal with that at a lake house an hour north of Toronto. He's already dreading the morning, when they drive back home and Dan flies back to LA in the afternoon. He doesn't know when they'll see each other next. Their careers don't really allow for that kind of planning. Dan sighs.

"Everything okay?" Noah’s looking at him with worried eyes. 

Dan shoots him a smile but he knows it's half-watt. "Mmhmm." He nods. “Don’t wanna leave,” he murmurs, holding his hand out. Noah settles his hand against Dan’s palm. 

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Noah says. “I don’t want to leave either.”

“Do you have anything planned for us for our last night?”

“Well they have a fire pit. And I _may_ know where they keep the s’mores supplies.”

Dan groans. “God, I love you.”

*

After Dan eats way too many s’mores, and Noah kisses away sticky marshmallow from the corners of his mouth, they get ready for bed. Dan stands in front of the sink, splashing water on his face, pulling out his PM hydrating cleanser. He expects to spend the next several minutes alone with his thoughts, like usual, but Noah gently bumps his hip as he’s rubbing gentle circles over his cheeks. 

Noah grins at him, and he returns it, before focusing back on the task at hand. Noah picks up the cleanser, squinting a bit at the label. “I wanna do skincare things.”

Dan pauses in the middle of rinsing his face and turns to look at him. “Skincare things?” He repeats, amused. 

“Yeah, like this,” he shakes the bottle in his hand. “What’s this? Let’s do it.”

Dan pats his face with a washcloth. “Okay.”

Noah is an excellent student, exacting in his cleanser application, easily taking Dan’s direction of gentle upward motions until his entire face is covered in a light foam. “You look good, babe,” Dan teases, stepping back so Noah can rinse his face. 

“I feel good,” Noah says after he’s rinsed and dried. “Moisturizer?”

Dan smiles in delight and holds out the jar. “A little goes a long way, okay so don’t—”

Noah scoops out way too much.

“—shove your whole finger in the jar.”

“Whoops,” Noah says, rubbing the lotion between his thumb and forefinger. 

“Okay, I’ll just use some, I haven’t done—”

Noah swipes his fingers over Dan’s cheek. “There.” He’s smiling way too wide for how sleepy the rest of him looks. Dan rolls his eyes at him. 

“Thank you.” He screws the top on the jar. “Now we gently massage it in… don’t forget your neck, okay?”

Noah watches himself in the mirror, brow furrowed in concentration as he carefully works the moisturizer into his skin. “Eye cream next?”

“We’re skipping eye cream for tonight. Come to bed.” Dan plucks at Noah’s sleeve and heads back to the bedroom. 

“But my eye bags,” Noah says dramatically, brushing past Dan to throw himself on the bed like a giant child. 

Dan flicks off the light. “Your eye bags will survive one night,” Dan says slipping under the covers, laughing softly when Noah immediately pulls him close, pressing feverish kisses to his cheek and neck. “Stop,” Dan says with a laugh. “It’s bedtime.”

“Your freshly moisturized cheeks are so kissable though,” Noah murmurs, dropping several more along his cheekbone. He settles down, then, and Dan rearranges them, turning Noah around and wrapping his arms around his middle. 

Noah smells like their bathroom in LA from the skincare, and Dan presses his nose to his hairline, inhaling a lungful. He takes another deep breath, hoping the sense memory kicks in later when he’s home alone. Hoping when he does his full routine, he can think of this moment, and feel surrounded by love.

*****

Dan wakes up and Noah’s still in bed with him, snoring lightly into Dan’s hair. He snuggles further under the covers, pushes back against Noah. The snoring stops and Dan grins—that wasn’t, like, _exactly_ his plan, but it’s a happy consequence. 

“Mmph,” Noah says eloquently, and Dan can feel his lips moving against the short hairs at the back of his neck. Noah rubs his face there, and Dan pushes his ass back against Noah again. Noah gently kisses the back of Dan’s neck. “Mmmm,” he groans quietly against his skin. 

Dan feels Noah’s hand slip under the front of his t-shirt, scratching through the hair there, before he slides his hand into Dan’s underwear. Dan is mostly soft, but Noah cups him anyway, teases at his balls, strokes his cock a few times with a loose fist. He keeps kissing Dan’s neck, and Dan keeps grinding his hips back against Noah’s hardening cock. 

“Wanna see you,” Noah whispers and pulls away so Dan can turn in his arms so they’re face to face. Noah’s sleepy grin makes Dan’s heart quicken, and he dives in for a kiss, wrapping his arms around Noah’s neck. 

Noah kisses him slowly, with purpose, and Dan forces himself to slow down, to take his time, to savor Noah’s mouth while he can. He licks over the curve of Noah’s cupid’s bow, bites at the fullness of his lower lip, kisses the corner of his mouth where his sparse facial hair is scratchy and delicious against Dan’s lips. Noah makes little noises, tiny groans in the back of his throat that punch out whenever Dan uses his teeth or tugs at his hair. He gets Noah’s mouth open, dips his tongue in to taste him, to lick out the sighs and the gasps, to climb inside of him, to keep him close. 

Dan pulls back to catch his breath, and Noah wrinkles his nose. “Dan Levy, your morning breath is _atrocious_.” Dan chokes on a laugh and drops his head to Noah’s shoulder.

“You’re a jerk.”

“Come back,” Noah says, and he’s still laughing but his hand is on the side of Dan’s neck, guiding him back into place. He fits his lips over Dan’s, and Dan is lost again. 

Lips kiss-swollen and tender, they separate, and manage to clumsily get their clothes off and stay under the covers. Dan throws his leg over Noah's hip and Noah gets lube on his fingers and reaches down to slip two into Dan. The angle is awkward, but good, so good, and Dan watches Noah’s face until he has to close his eyes against the stretch of fingers. 

“Oh,” Dan gasps as Noah fucks his fingers into him, getting deeper than before. “Yeah,” he sighs, and leans in to suck another hickey onto Noah’s neck. Dan works his hips as best as he can in this position, helping Noah work him open. He tries to move the leg that’s across Noah’s hip, trying to give Noah some friction, and Noah rocks his hips up for his part. Noah grunts and Dan kisses him again, mouth open and wet, as they move together. 

“I’m—” Dan gasps. “I’m ready, come on.” Noah fucks into him a few more times and then grabs his hips to move him so he’s straddling Noah. Dan opens his mouth to complain about the lube Noah smeared across his side, but then Noah’s lubing himself up and Dan feels the blunt head of Noah’s cock push against his hole. 

Noah stretched him well, so it doesn’t take long for him to be buried inside Dan, all the way, Dan’s ass flush down against Noah’s pelvis. Dan takes a moment to rock his hips, lets Noah slide his hands up Dan’s chest, watches Noah bite his own lips as he tries to thrust up against Dan’s full weight. Dan grunts at the pressure, the sound devolving into a loud groan at the full feeling of Noah inside him. 

He rocks down again, grinding on Noah’s dick. He can’t resist smirking a bit when Noah’s eyes roll back a little. “Mm, yeah,” Dan breathes, and Noah tries to thrust into him again. He groans in frustration. 

Noah grabs at Dan’s jaw and tugs his face down, licking into his mouth and whimpering when Dan clenches around him. “Fuck,” he murmurs, “Dan, let me fuck you.” Dan nods as best he can in Noah’s grip. He shifts his weight forward, burying his face in Noah’s neck, arching his back and lifting off of Noah’s dick just slightly. “Yeah,” Noah says, and wraps his arms around Dan’s back and fucks up into him, slow and deep. 

Dan moans into Noah’s neck, licking at his earlobe and his jaw and his throat. Noah knows every angle to make Dan shake in arms, and he hits all of Dan’s spots expertly. Dan curses as Noah delivers a hard thrust, and he feels his cock jump where it’s pressed between them. “You feel so good,” Noah whispers, voice shaky. “Fuck—” He moves his hands down to Dan’s ass, squeezing his cheeks and pulling them apart, making Dan feel every thick inch of Noah’s dick even more. 

“Mmph,” Dan grunts, pushing up onto his hands to look down at Noah. “Yeah,” he sighs, and uses the newfound leverage to fuck himself back onto Noah’s cock. Dan watches Noah’s face, wants to kiss the skin between his eyebrows, wants to lick at his lips, bitten-red and swollen from kissing. He’s sweating around his hairline, and Dan wants to taste that too, so he does, pressing his lips to Noah’s forehead and working down to his temple, the saltiness making him groan into Noah’s skin. 

“Dan—babe,” Noah says, and he sounds frantic, so Dan leans up a little to catch Noah’s gaze. “I need you to fuck me. Will you fuck me, please? I’m gonna—want to come with you inside me.”

“Mm, yeah, of course, baby.” Smiling down at Noah, Dan tangles one hand in his hair, tugging hard to expose the pale column of Noah’s throat. He leans down to bite at the skin there, over a fading mark from the day before, slowing his hips to a glacial pace as Noah writhes beneath him. “Want me to fill you up?” He pants against the curve of Noah’s neck, grinding down onto his cock. 

Noah nods jerkily and squeezes Dan’s hips. “Please.”

Dan kisses Noah’s cheek and gingerly lifts off his dick, whimpering slightly at the loss. He shuffles back on his knees, moving so he’s kneeling between Noah’s legs. He pushes Noah’s thighs up, exposing his hole, and smirks at the tiny gasp Noah lets out. Dan is about to ask for the lube, but Noah is pushing it into Dan’s palm. Noah grins at him and winks, and hooks his hands around the backs of his knees while Dan coats two fingers and presses them gently into Noah. 

Noah is tight around his fingers, hot and smooth inside, and Dan wants to touch himself, but he isn't taking his hands off Noah for anything. He strokes Noah’s thigh as he slowly fucks his fingers in, pulling them out just as slowly, nodding and making quiet, agreeable noises for every one of Noah’s whimpers. He slips another finger into Noah’s hole, watches Noah’s eyes flutter closed at the stretch. 

He loves Noah like this, so open and wanting, letting Dan take him apart— _asking_ Dan to take him apart.

“I’m—come on.” Noah clenches around Dan’s fingers. “I—need you.” Dan groans loudly and squeezes his free hand around the base of his own cock. 

“ _Fuck_ , Noah, just—” He carefully slides his fingers out of Noah’s hole, but doesn’t pull them away. He gently touches Noah’s rim, feeling the sensitive skin, stretched a little from Dan’s fingers. Noah’s hole flutters and Dan thinks he’s going to get his tongue right in there, but then Noah’s making a desperate whining sound in the back of his throat and Dan decides to give him what he wants. 

“I’ve got you,” he murmurs, grabbing the lube and getting his cock slick. He wipes the excess over Noah’s hole, and then he’s lining himself up. Noah wraps his legs around Dan’s waist and then Dan’s pushing forward and Noah’s gasping and fisting the sheets. Dan goes slow, so Noah can adjust and also so he doesn’t come in five seconds at the feeling of Noah scorching hot around him. 

Once Dan is all the way in, Noah scrambles on hold onto Dan’s sides. “Wait,” he pants out, “wait, I— _god_ Dan I’m not gonna last, you feel _so good_ .” Dan sympathizes, but reaches down to give Noah’s cock a stroke anyway, grinning as he keens at the contact. “Dan!” Noah laughs breathily. “I’m serious, _god_.”

“Tell you what,” Dan says, pausing to moan as he shifts his hips and his dick inside Noah. “You can come whenever you want—I’m going to keep fucking you until I come in your ass. How does that sound?” He fucks in and out of Noah’s hole twice, closing his eyes at the guttural moan Noah offers in response. “Great,” Dan says on an exhale. “You ready?” Noah nods vigorously and Dan gets his knees in a comfortable position, braces his hands on the backs of Noah’s thighs and starts fucking him in earnest. 

Noah immediately starts whimpering with every thrust, and Dan tries to angle his hips to his Noah’s prostate, because Noah feels incredible around him and he’s going to come so fast. He gets a hand around Noah’s leaking cock and Noah lets out a wordless cry, scrabbling at Dan’s shoulders to tug him down. He loses his balance and slips out of Noah, but Noah doesn’t seem to care, just shoves his tongue into Dan’s mouth, kissing him deep and wild and— _god_ Dan loves him. “Babe, hang on, I’ve got you, okay?” Dan whispers against his lips, licking into his mouth again before sitting up and climbing off the bed. 

He gets his hands around Noah’s hips and pulls him all the way down the bed so his ass is right on the edge. “Perfect,” Dan says, sliding his hands up Noah’s chest, kissing his way up, too, before settling in to suck another hickey into his collarbone. Noah fists his hands in Dan’s hair, rocking his hips up to meet Dan’s, letting their erections slide together. 

Noah pulls him up and kisses him hard. “Dan, please, I _need_ —”

Dan grins and kisses Noah’s nose. He stands and lets Noah reach down to guide him back into Noah’s hole, and then lets Noah pull him close again by the shoulders as he sinks in. He’s all the way inside Noah again and Noah’s hands are on the sides of his neck, and Noah’s kissing him and Noah’s surrounding him, pulling him in, and Dan fucks him slow and deep, the way that drives Noah crazy.

“Dan,” Noah gasps, “I’m—” Dan can feel Noah tremble in his arms where they’re tucked under Noah’s shoulder blades. He leans up on his hands braced against the bed next to Noah’s head, and fucks Noah hard—still deep but a lot less slow— while Noah works a hand between them to jerk himself off. 

“Yeah, fuck, Noah—”

“— _fuck_ Dan, you’re gonna make me come, _don’t stop_ —!” Noah jerks beneath him and Dan keeps thrusting into Noah, as he feels Noah come between them, slippery and hot; Noah moans into his mouth, bites at his lips, cursing every few moments as Dan hits the good spot inside him. 

Dan slows his hips, pulling his mouth away to trail kisses down Noah’s cheek and down his throat and across his shoulder, ending with a sharp bite to the top round part that makes Noah groan into Dan’s ear. “Keep going,” Noah whispers, grabbing at Dan’s ass, urging him to thrust his hips. “Want you to—inside—” he presses his face into Dan’s neck, and Dan lets him, shivering as Noah mouths at his throat, probably contemplating another hickey for the weekend. 

Dan feels Noah’s teeth at the base of his throat, hears him whispering against his skin. He can’t make out the words, but Noah starts working his own hips up to meet Dan’s, and Dan’s going to come. Noah lays his head back down and looks up at Dan, biting his lip. He’s cradling Dan’s face, holding him close, and he nods, hitching his legs up around Dan’s hips. “Come on, baby,” he whispers, and Dan chokes out a moan, like he’d been waiting for Noah’s permission, and slams his hips forward as he comes and _comes_ , Noah clenching around him and pulling him down to press gentle kisses to his mouth, as he trembles through his orgasm.

Still shaking, Dan pulls out of Noah, nudging him up the bed to control the wet spot situation. Noah has no such concerns, he just pulls Dan to him, snuggling in close. Dan fumbles around the bed for a corner of the sheet to wipe the come from Noah’s stomach, and Noah makes a tiny grateful noise before pressing a soft kiss to Dan’s cheek. 

They stay in bed too long, cuddling, talking about nothing, about their schedules, about the next time they might see each other, and when Dan looks at the time it all comes crashing back. It’s way too late to eat breakfast, they should technically already be on the road back to Toronto so Dan can catch his flight to LA and Noah can catch his flight back to Nova Scotia. 

Noah hops out of bed to clean up the kitchen and the fridge and the deck, and Dan shoves his things back into the bag that Noah had packed for him. It’s not really much of a bag for a weekend away… it’s more of a bag you’d pack your boyfriend if you wanted to keep him half-dressed and fucked out for three days straight. So, a successful weekend, at least. “Noah, what exactly were you _planning_ when you packed this bag? No books, no actual pants…” Dan drops his bag on a chair in the living room. 

Noah just grins at him and shoves beer in an empty cooler. “I had my priorities okay? You work too hard and I just wanted you to relax. Anyway, it worked, didn’t it?”

Dan agrees, but certainly isn’t going to admit that, so he helps to pack their food into some totes for the car ride back to reality. Noah distracts him once or twice with kisses pressed against the counter, but they manage to get all of their stuff into the car within 30 minutes. 

The drive is… quiet. Dan stares out the window, grateful that Noah had turned down his offer to drive, and just decides he’s going to embrace the sadness. Noah reaches over and grabs his hand and he clutches back and bites his lip. He can hold off crying until he’s in his house in LA. He totally can. He’s not going to burst into tears in the car with Noah, or on the plane next to a stranger. 

“Hey, let’s stop and grab doughnuts from that bakery you like,” Noah says, and Dan knows what he’s doing. He doesn’t want Dan to cry either. Thinks doughnuts will soak up his tears.

Well, he’s right. “Okay,” Dan says quietly. “I like doughnuts.”

“I know.”

*

Their flights are within two hours of each other so they take a rideshare to the airport, and Dan is both relieved that they don’t have to say goodbye yet while dreading being overcome with sobs as he gets on the plane. He can just imagine the flight attendant handing him a pile of tissues before asking him to quiet his wailing. 

They don’t talk much, just casual touches—Noah rests a hand on his back as they move through the crowd, grabs his hand to pull him over to Starbucks, brushing muffin crumbs off his cheek as they sit at Dan’s gate to wait. 

Dan had naively thought that the goodbyes would get easier, but they just get harder and harder and Dan sometimes worries that Noah is going to decide that it’s not worth all the effort. Flying back and forth, Dan crying in airports, FaceTime dates instead of nights out or nights in. Dan takes a shuddery breath and tucks his head into Noah’s shoulder where they’re sitting close together. Noah’s arm is around him, his other hand petting soothingly along Dan’s leg. “Babe, I’ll be done filming in a month, and I’ll fly out to LA. It’ll pass in no time, huh?” Dan nods against his shoulder. He wants to believe that, but—it won’t. It will be miserable almost every day. 

Dan lives full-time in LA because that’s where he works. He has meetings more days than not and it’s just… _better_ for him to be there. It’s not his _favorite_ place, though he certainly likes it better than he used to, but it’s where he needs to be most of the time. 

He’d never ask Noah to leave Toronto. His life is there, he’s making music there, and he shouldn’t have to give that up. Dan’s not going to push Noah, he doesn’t… want to be difficult. But, long-distance is hard. People manage to make it work, but how much longer can _they_ make it work? 

“Hey,” Noah says, nudging Dan with his chin. Dan lifts his head up and Noah kisses him softly, lips moving against Dan’s, hand coming up to cradle Dan’s cheek. “I love you,” Noah says against his mouth. 

Dan sighs. “Love you, too. I’ll miss you,” he says, knows it’s unnecessary, but _needs_ Noah to know. Noah smiles and rubs his nose against Dan’s cheek. 

Boarding starts for Dan’s flight. He’s in the first group, and he squeezes Noah’s hand so hard while they walk over to the gate agent. He gets in the back of the line, and he’s still clinging to Noah’s hand, and Noah is squeezing back and Dan takes a breath and it comes out in an embarrassing sob.

Noah makes a wounded noise and pulls Dan into a tight hug. People around them move past, and Noah pulls Dan out of the line, still clinging to him. Dan is crying for real now, and he feels Noah’s shoulders shake a few times, knows he’s crying, too. “Fuck,” Dan says thickly. His glasses are getting squished where he’s pressing his face into Noah’s neck again, and Noah’s rubbing his back and muttering anything he can to soothe Dan. It helps, hearing Noah’s voice, and eventually Dan gets ahold of himself. 

Noah kisses him hard, holding Dan’s face in both hands, and then nudges him forward. Dan goes, concerned he’ll never get on the plane if he doesn’t keep walking, and gives Noah a watery smile and a tiny wave. 

“Bye, babe,” Noah says, and his voice is hoarse and Dan turns back toward the jetway quickly, because Noah’s face is unbearable to watch when it’s like that. The gate agent scans his boarding pass and slips him a tissue with a sympathetic smile, which he gratefully accepts. 

He gets a text while he’s on the jetway, and it’s from Noah and it’s a simple ‘xo’ that makes Dan’s heart skip and his eyes tear up again. He clutches his phone to his chest while he walks to his seat. 

Dan’s exhausted, so once he’s settled, he pulls out a hoodie he stole from Noah’s bag before they left the lake house, cuddles under it like a blanket, and falls uncomfortably asleep almost immediately.


	3. lot of space in my bed

In the seven weeks that have passed since their stay at the lake house, they’ve barely seen each other. Five whole days in seven weeks, and only two of those were even consecutive. With Noah in the studio nonstop and Dan's current production schedule, that's all they've gotten. 

Five days. That’s it. 

They have plans to see each other next weekend. Just eight more days and then Noah will be in back LA. At home. In their bed. With Dan.

It's a Thursday night and while Dan only has one meeting tomorrow, he also has an event to attend (that his publicist talked him into) on Saturday evening. Flying across the country (and into another country) and back is tiresome, so instead of Noah flying out to LA and back to Toronto this weekend, and then _again_ next weekend, they decided to wait this weekend out. 

Next weekend when they’ll be together for three entire days. Dan has already told his Leah _and_ his publicist that he is not doing anything at all next weekend, including Friday. Unless it’s an invitation from Oprah or Beyonce, Dan is unavailable and sends his regrets. Time has _not_ been on their side lately, so Dan’s not taking any chances. 

The distance has… not been easy. It wasn’t easy a year ago, two years ago, and it’s not easy now. Each goodbye gets worse, and it’s about to reach the point that the idea of _seeing_ Noah fills Dan with dread… because he knows the goodbye is soon after. Long-distance is no joke, and sure, it’s technically temporary, because it’s just supposed to be while Noah is recording. 

Dan knows, though, that Noah will want to accept the part he was offered for the next show at the Tarragon. It makes sense. All his people are in Toronto. Dan gets it, because he wants to work in LA. It’s where all _his_ people are. 

He’s having the _best_ time, working with amazing talent and writing and producing amazing stories but it’s _hard_ and it _sucks_ and he _hates_ it. He knows Noah hates it, too. Noah doesn’t complain about it, not that much, but Dan can hear the frustration in his voice when they talk on the phone or FaceTime with Redmond. 

Redmond trots over, as if he senses Dan’s distress, and hops up onto the couch, resting his head in Dan’s lap. “Hey, buddy,” Dan says, voice quiet, and scratches at Red’s ears. Redmond whines a little, and Dan sympathizes. He wants to whine, too. 

He texts Stacey to see if she’s around, maybe she’ll listen to him whine. Again. Most of their conversations consist of him whining and her listening and then telling him to get over himself and just fix it. 

“You’re doing this long-distance unnecessarily,” she’d said one afternoon over brunch. They’d both had one too many mimosas, probably, and Dan had scoffed obnoxiously at her. 

“I _live_ here,” Dan said, pointing to the ground. As if he lived in their favorite brunch spot. Which… 

“So _what_?” Stacey had replied. “He doesn’t have to live _there_.”

“I can’t ask him to move away from Toronto.”

Stacey slurped down another gulp of boozy OJ. “Okay, but, like, why?”

“Because he probably _would_ ,” Dan said, and he wasn’t indignant, just resigned. 

“You’re an idiot,” she’d said, and got up to go to the bathroom. 

Dan gets a text back almost immediately.

_Go visit your boyfriend you absolute fool_

He frowns at his phone. Stacey knows he has plans this weekend, and—

Dan pulls up his calendar on his phone, and Redmond nudges his free hand in a silent plea for pets. Dan obliges, scrolling to find the details of Saturday’s event. It’s a bullshit event and he never should have agreed to go, so he texts his publicist to cancel, and swipes over to his airline app to find a flight to Toronto for tomorrow after his meeting.

“You wanna take a trip, Reddy?” Dan says, ruffling his ears playfully. Redmond wags his tail and licks at Dan’s fingers. “Wonder where I left your service dog vest?”

*

Dan lands late Friday evening, and he and Redmond take a dog-friendly rideshare to the condo. For the first time in weeks, the scheduling gods are working in his favor, and Noah is conveniently out for dinner with friends, which, Dan assumes, is supposed to lead into a night out at the bar. So he’s free to freshen up, feed Red a late dinner, and double and triple check the details for their Saturday night accommodations. 

The lakehouse had been easy enough to find on Airbnb; the minimum stay is a week but Dan messaged the seller (some guy named Tim that Noah had vaguely mentioned years ago), who seemed all too happy to book him in last-minute for one night. And also stock the fridge with food and beer and wine. So Dan owes the guy, like, a lot. 

Once he’s dressed, Redmond lounging in his bed, Dan gets an insta story from Noah with a picture of a beer on a dirty table tagged with his location. Like he always does when he goes out drinking with his friends. Dan orders a car and heads out the door. 

*

He arrives at the bar and shakes his head because of course Noah is at this dive. Dan smooths down his t-shirt and adjusts his leather jacket that he only partially selected because he knows how Noah _feels_ about it. 

Noah feels _real_ good about it. 

Dan heaves open the tavern door, and it’s a lot smaller than he thought, so it takes no time at all to find Noah and his friends at a small table with too many chairs and _a lot_ of beers. They’re all crowded around someone’s phone, rapt attention on whatever’s happening there, so Dan approaches the group pretty much unnoticed. 

He’s met most of these friends before, so he’s not… _nervous_ per se, but he is antsy and he almost chickens out, thinking that Noah wouldn’t want him to be here, crashing his night out with friends. Dan forces that thought from his mind and stops a few feet away. “Can I take some of these empties, gentlemen?” He says, and then regrets it because why couldn’t he just say _hi_ like a normal person speaking to other normal people. 

A few of them look up and Dan waves, but Noah is focused on the phone they’re all leaning towards. The friends who have noticed him are smiling, which Dan takes as a good sign, and the guy sitting next to Noah nudges him hard. “Ow, fuck, man,” Noah says. “ _What_ ?” The friend—Ryan, Dan thinks—nods his head in Dan’s direction and Noah _finally_ looks up. 

He shoots up out of his chair, and he looks two seconds away from vaulting over the table that’s between them. “ _Dan_ ,” he says, and it’s loud in the bar but Dan can hear him as if they were right next to each other. 

“Hi,” Dan says, and he grinning because Noah is running around the table and throwing himself into Dan’s arms like he’s just returned from battle. “Oof,” Dan grunts, but wraps Noah up anyway, of course he does, and he feels _so_ good. Noah presses a clumsy kiss to the spot on the side of his neck and this is definitely the best decision Dan’s ever made. 

Noah’s friends are cheering obnoxiously at their display and Noah leans in for a desperate kiss that is definitely not for public consumption. He slips his hands under Dan’s jacket, sliding them towards Dan’s ass. Dan hears wolf-whistles, but pulls Noah tighter against him anyway, and kisses him back with all he has. 

Dan gets his bearings enough to know they should probably stop, and he pulls back, just a little, and stares at Noah’s beer-drunk and kiss-drunk face. “Hi,” Noah mumbles, eyes still closed. “You’re here,” he sighs, and drops his forehead against Dan’s shoulder. 

“In the flesh,” Dan teases, and Noah huffs a laugh against his neck. Noah lifts his head again, and it looks like it takes a monumental effort. “How many beers have you had?” Dan asks with a laugh. 

“Oh, Noah’s been going steadily since dinner, whining about this guy he misses, like, _so much_. Not sure what that’s about,” his friend—definitely Ryan—says.

“Hm, weird,” Dan jokes and Noah finally stands up straight to glare at all his friends, one arm still firmly around Dan’s waist. 

“Did you guys _know_ about this? Did you _know_ he was gonna be _here_?” Noah slurs, and Dan is struggling to stifle his giggles. His friends shake their heads and some hold up their hands innocently.

“I didn’t tell anyone, babe,” Dan says. “I only decided yesterday.”

Noah turns his gaze back on Dan, staring up at him adoringly, and it makes Dan flush. 

“‘Kay, anytime you guys wanna leave, feel free,” another friend—Mike, Dan thinks—calls over. “He’s been miserable for weeks, Dan. Take him home.” The ‘ _to bed’_ goes unsaid, making Dan flush even more, and Noah mumbles something about paying his share of the drinks. 

“I’ll invoice you,” Ryan says, and shoves a little at Noah’s shoulder. “Go.”

Noah is _drunk_ and he’s about to fall into Ryan’s arms in thanks so Dan pulls him away, and waves to his friends, who wave back and look… immensely pleased for Noah. Dan doesn’t think too hard about that, just takes the jacket that Ryan jumps up to hand him and walks Noah out the door. 

It’s chilly, so Dan wraps Noah’s jacket around his shoulders while they sit on a bench to wait for their ride. The driver who’d dropped him off is just around the block, so that’s convenient. Noah leans heavily on Dan, nuzzling into his neck and murmuring either nonsense or Tom Petty lyrics. Dan pets at Noah’s hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head every few minutes. “Can’t believe you’re here,” Noah says into Dan’s neck. “Missed you lots. Lots. And Red.” Noah gasps and Dan startles. “Where’s Red?” Noah cries. 

Dan laughs. “He’s at home waiting for us, babe.”

Noah grins so _wide_. “Like when you call me _babe_ ,” he says, and kisses Dan, messy and uncoordinated, but sweet and perfect. 

*

“Reddy!” Noah exclaims as soon as he pushes past Dan to get inside. Redmond’s whole body shakes excitedly with each tail wag, and then Noah’s all the way on the floor letting Red lick his face and his hair and his ears and his neck and Dan leaves them there to get water and snacks from the kitchen. 

Noah’s giggles fill the living room along with Redmond’s panting and Dan stands in the kitchen doorway and watches them for a few minutes. Once Red deems Noah fully bathed and sniffed, cleared for entry, he skitters over to Dan and then over to where his leash hangs on a hook next to the door. Dan hears Noah’s laughter die down and watches him heave himself onto the couch and grin up at Dan, unfocused and happy. 

Dan hands him the water and drops the snacks on the coffee table. “I’m gonna take him out real quick. Drink this and eat something and try not to get cheese fingerprints on the couch okay?” He leans over to kiss Noah on the forehead. “Be right back.”

“Be right here,” Noah murmurs, and Dan smiles the whole way out of the building, the walk down the street, and the walk back to the apartment.

*

After Noah has eaten nearly an entire bag of Cheetos, Dan ushers him off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. He changes into his own sleep clothes while Noah’s in there, and Dan listens to him mumble-sing around his toothbrush. 

They swap, and Noah faceplants on to their bed while Dan brushes his teeth and washes his face and waits for Noah to get up and actually change his own clothes. 

No dice. Dan makes quick work of undressing Noah, ignoring the suggestive noises and comments and looks from him, but smiling back all the same. 

Dan pulls Noah back against his chest and they settle under the covers. He kisses Noah’s neck, nosing along his curls, inhaling the smell of his shampoo and Cheetos and beer and what he thinks is his own body wash. The thought makes Dan press a smile into Noah’s hair.

“Thank you for coming,” Noah whispers into their bedroom. “I miss you.”

“Miss you. So much. I couldn’t stay away. Needed to see you,” Dan says, and it feels like a confession, even though it’s not a secret. 

“Do you have to go back tomorrow?” Noah’s voice is broken just asking the question.

“No. I’m yours until Sunday.”

Noah’s sigh of relief stabs Dan right in the chest, and he wonders how many more times they can say goodbye. 

Dan thinks about that for a long, long time. 

*

Dan wakes up before Noah and sneaks out with Redmond to grab the good coffee from the place up the block. He can’t resist getting some danishes, too. Noah’s still snoring away when he gets back to the condo, so he feeds Red and then starts packing a bag for Noah so they can leave right after breakfast and get maximum lake house time. 

He grabs a little bit more than Noah had grabbed when he’d first brought Dan out there—Noah’s little notebook, a novel that Dan’s been wanting to read, real pants. He makes sure to grab lube and two extra towels, and soon he’s got them all packed. He grabs a grocery tote for Redmond’s toys and accouterments, and Noah emerges from the bedroom as he’s packing them up.

“Hey,” Dan says, grinning at the adorably confused look on Noah’s face. 

Noah rubs his hands over his face. “Hi,” he croaks. “I thought you were a dream.”

Dan only just manages not to melt into the floor. “Nope, cold, hard reality, _babe_.” Noah shakes his head, giving him a watery smile at the pet name, and meets Dan halfway, in the middle of the living room and nearly falls into Dan’s arms. 

Noah’s shoulders start to shake and then he’s crying, almost sobbing, into Dan’s shoulder. Dan wraps him up, throws his arms around Noah’s neck, and pulls him close. He squeezes his eyes closed, because they don’t _both_ need to be crying, and just holds him. Noah clutches at the back of his shirt, pressing them together even though they’re as close as they can be. 

“Noah,” Dan says, and he hopes it sounds comforting. “It’s okay,” he continues, even though he’s not sure it is. Noah is starting to quiet, not sobbing anymore, just whimpering every now and then, snuffling against Dan’s neck. “It’s okay,” Dan murmurs again.

It’s wet and gross and Dan is never going to let him go. 

“I just miss you,” Noah mumbles, and it’s muffled where his lips are pressed against Dan’s skin but he hears him just fine. Dan lets out a shuddery breath and rocks side to side a few times. 

“I miss you all the time,” he echoes. “I’m here.” After a few more minutes Noah slowly pulls away, sniffling a bunch and clearing his throat before lifting his head to look up at Dan with swollen, red eyes. Dan leans forward to kiss his forehead. “I have a surprise,” he says, because he doesn’t know what else to say. 

Noah’s eyes light up as much as they can given the state of him. “Yeah?” He gives Dan a small smile. 

“How do you feel? Can you shower and get dressed and meet me out here for breakfast? I got danishes.” Noah groans hungrily. 

“Hell yeah.” He kisses Dan’s mouth, a brief press of lips, and leaves him in the living room with a half-wink.

*

“How did you even do this?” Noah asks when they pull up to the lake house. He looks like he can’t stop smiling and he’s been staring at Dan for the last mile of their drive. 

“I know how to book a vacation, Noah,” Dan says, beyond pleased at the reaction. “Tim says ‘hi’ by the way.”

“What a little—I can’t believe you did this! We’re here for the night?”

Dan nods. 

Noah gives his hand a squeeze and then all but jumps out of the car when Dan throws it into park. He generously helps Dan unload the trunk—two duffles and two grocery totes (they’d stopped on the way)—and they head inside. It’s not as warm as it was during their last trip, in the summer, so Noah flips the switch on the gas fireplace and then spends a few minutes lamenting the fact that he can’t put his fire-building skills to use. 

Redmond busies himself exploring, then plops down in a patch of sun near the sliding doors to the deck. 

“Isn’t there a firepit outside?” Dan says as he shoves a 6-pack of beer in the fridge. 

“Yeah, but I figured you’d want to stay in,” Noah bobs his sparse brows suggestively. Dan rolls his eyes.

“You building a fire _definitely_ won’t prevent any ‘ _staying in,’”_ Dan says. 

Once Dan’s put everything away, and Noah’s brought their bags up to the bedroom, Dan pulls Noah close by the front of his zip-up hoodie. “Did you know, Mister Reid, that there are _hiking trails_ nearby?” He whispers, lips grazing Noah’s. 

Noah swallows hard. “I… did. Are we—are we going hiking?”

“It’s supposed to rain a bit later so I thought we could _hit the trails_ for a bit before it starts.”

“I know you’re making fun of me, but number one: I know you like hiking, too, and number two: the terminology is really kind of working for me,” Noah explains, grinning up at Dan. 

Dan hums. “Yes, well, save it for after the hike, babe.” He swats Noah’s ass and heads up to the bedroom to change. 

*

“Dan, did you… research which trail to take?” Noah asks once they reach the top of the incline. Redmond sniffs at the large rocks lining the trees.

“ _Noah_ ,” Dan says in the same tone. “I had a five-hour flight with the dog. I had some time to kill. Plus! You planned _everything_ last time—”

“No, what _I_ planned last time was several rounds of fucking and then food.”

Dan huffs out a breath of laughter. “Well my point stands,” he says and steps into Noah’s space. “Did I make a good choice?”

Noah looks down to Dan’s mouth and then back up to his eyes. “Actually, I think I made the good choice,” he murmurs, and pushes in for a kiss, cradling the back of Dan’s head and angling him this way and that, lips soft and insistent. He pulls away for a moment, breathless, panting against Dan’s mouth and then kisses him quick again. “Come on,” he says, tapping Dan’s hips. “Let’s take a selfie with the view and then head back.” He heads over to the edge of the clearing and Redmond gallops after him, ears flopping in the breeze. 

“You just want to go _‘stay in,’_ I bet,” Dan teases, reeling in Red’s leash and crowding in close while Noah holds up his phone. Dan makes him take seven different versions and then he deletes three of them, and declares exactly one suitable for posting to social.

“You can see all my sweat in those other three,” he explains as they head back down, Redmond in the lead again, sniffing out the trail. 

“Mm, wouldn’t want anyone to see you all hot and sweaty and gorgeous, that’d be crazy.” Noah’s smirking and Dan tries to ignore it, but he feels his cheeks flush anyway. Noah kisses his cheek awkwardly as they’re walking, and grabs his hand for their journey back down. 

*

Noah lets him make it all the way to the bedroom before he pounces, all but tackling him onto the bed in a flurry of limbs and pillows. “Noah,” he laughs, “I’m all _sweaty_ , ew.”

Noah just makes an exaggeratedly pleased noise and presses his nose into the crease of Dan’s neck where he probably has _a lot_ of sweat. Noah licks at his neck, biting at his collarbone, and gets his hands underneath Dan’s shirt to spread his fingers across Dan’s sweaty back. “God, you smell so good,” Noah groans and bites him again, definitely leaving a mark on his shoulder. 

“You’re so weird,” Dan says, but lets Noah pull his shirt off of him and start tugging his pants down. 

“ _You’re_ so—” Noah cuts himself off to press his face into Dan’s hip, biting him there, too, hard enough to mark him. Noah licks sloppily over the bite and then bites him again for good measure. Dan slips his hands into Noah’s sweaty hair, tugging at the strands. 

“Jesus, Noah,” Dan says, jerking away from the sting of teeth. “The kitchen’s downstairs if you’re _hungry_ ,” Dan tries to joke, to slow his heartbeat, to distract his dick from getting dangerously close to coming in five seconds from all the sexy biting. 

Noah just smirks up at him. “Bet they’re not serving what I want,” he says, nosing his way over to the base of Dan’s cock. He drags his lips up the side, getting Dan wet, and then back down to mouth his way over to Dan’s belly. He gets a few more bites in, but they tickle, so Dan squirms underneath him. 

Noah smirks at him again before licking at the head of his dick, holding his gaze and wrapping his lips tight around him. Dan bites his lip and lets his head drop back onto the pillow, gasping when he hits the back of Noah’s throat so soon. “ _Oh_.” He gets a hand in Noah’s hair, just resting there. Noah pushes back against his hand and Dan smirks and gives his hair a tug. “Thought,” he gasps as Noah does something earth-shattering with his tongue, “thought I’d be taking care of you.”

Noah pulls off. “So take care of me,” he mumbles against the side of Dan’s cock. 

Dan lets him go on for another minute, enjoys the wet heat of Noah’s mouth, before he tucks a hand under Noah’s jaw and says, “Up.”

Noah shuffles his way up Dan's body until they’re face to face, and Dan kisses the taste of himself off Noah’s lips. 

Dan admitted once that he never used to like that, before they’d started dating, and Noah had flushed with pleasure at the confession. He’s been smug about it ever since, and he smiles against Dan’s mouth like he always does. 

Anyway, it’s true. Dan didn’t used to be into a lot of things before he fell in love with Noah Reid. 

Dan maneuvers Noah where he needs him—face down on the bed. Dan leaves him for a moment to grab the lube from his bag in the bathroom, and when he gets back Noah is grinding his hips against the bed. “Ah—wait—!” Dan pokes through his duffle to find a towel he’d packed and Noah dutifully rolls over so Dan can lay it underneath him. 

“How do you want me?” Noah asks from his spot, looking back over his shoulder like some kind lake house wet dream. 

Dan flicks open the lube. “Just like that, babe.” He can’t help the pet name now that he knows Noah likes it so much.

Noah bites his lip and his expression turns almost _shy_ before he nestles his face back into the pillow. 

Dan makes quick work of getting Noah ready, working up to three fingers as fast as he thinks Noah can take and Noah must definitely agree because he’s whimpering and moaning and shoving his ass back onto Dan’s fingers. “Come on,” Noah whines, drawing out the last word. “I’m ready, _god,_ just fuck me, _please.”_

Dan eases his fingers out. “Okay,” he agrees, biting at one of Noah’s ass cheeks. “But only because you said ‘please.’” Noah starts to lean up, to arrange himself on his hands and knees, but Dan shoves him back down. He lands with an _oof_ that ends in a shaky moan. 

“ _Yeah,”_ Noah sighs and Dan grins. 

“Like this,” Dan says, smoothing his clean hand down Noah’s back. “This good?” 

“Yeahhhh,” Noah moans again and Dan laughs, giving his ass a playful smack. He gets more lube, fucks some of it into Noah, and slicks himself up. 

“You ready?” He asks, just to be an asshole.

“Oh my god, Dan, if you—” Noah doesn’t finish, gets cut off as Dan slides into him, slow and smooth. Dan spreads Noah’s cheeks so he can watch himself sink into the heat of him. He groans softly, and Noah gives a loud moan in response. “Daaaan,” he whimpers. “So good,” he says wetly. He’s probably drooling all over his pillow. Dan fucks him harder to hear more noises spill from his lips. 

He loves Noah like this—pliant and needy, loud and begging—loves to watch the muscles in his arms as he squeezes the pillow under his head and clenches the sheets in his fists. With an arm braced against the headboard, Dan sets a good pace—not too fast. “Hey,” he pants. “Put your arms behind your back.” 

Noah moans low in his throat, but obeys. Dan shifts his position a bit, gets leverage with his knees around Noah’s hips, and then wraps his long fingers around Noah’s wrists and holds them together against his lower back. Noah curses and Dan feels him try to thrust back against him, but he’s struggling to get leverage. He can’t do anything but lay there and take whatever Dan decides to give him. That thought always makes Dan shiver in pleasure, when they do this, knowing Noah lets him have control like this, hands his pleasure right over and trusts Dan to take care of him.

Dan heaves a heady breath and slows his pace, able to get deeper at this speed, reveling in the way Noah clenches around him every time he bottoms out. “ _Fuck_ ,” Noah mumbles and Dan lets go of his wrists, shifts his weight back onto his knees. He gets his hands around Noah’s waist to press him hard into the mattress, with all of his weight, and Noah’s next moan ends on half a sob. “ _Fuck_ me.” 

Dan curses and slams his hips forward, fucking into Noah hard, making him grunt with every thrust of his hips. He’s kind of tired from the hike, so he slows a little, but Noah groans in protest. “Dan, fuck me harder, come on I—I need to—feel you tomorrow—” He cuts himself off with a loud moan, pulling at the sheets with both hands. 

“Oh my god, Noah, you are so fucking _hot_ ,” Dan pants and pulls out, squeezing Noah’s asscheek when he moans dramatically at the loss. 

“Dan—”

Dan gets off the bed and tugs hard on Noah’s hips, pulling him down to the edge and situating him up on his hands and knees. He reaches up to grab a handful of Noah’s hair and Noah moans out another curse, whimpering. “What?” Dan asks, teasing the head of his dick against Noah’s hole. 

“ _Please_ ,” Noah whimpers again, pushing his hips back. “I need—”

“I know, baby,” Dan says, loosening his hold on Noah’s hair and stroking down the back of his head and along his spine before slipping two fingers into Noah, watching the muscles in his back shift as he works himself on Dan’s hand. 

“ _Dan_ —”

Dan grins, loves that he can reduce Noah’s vocabulary to _Dan_ and _please_. He lines himself up, takes another moment to tease Noah, and then finally presses in. Noah is open, and slick, and so _hot_ as Dan slides all the way in, stilling when his hips bump against Noah’s ass. He stays there—he wants Noah to move on him, wants Noah _desperate_ and writhing. Dan gropes at Noah’s ass. “Come on, Noah. You wanted to get fucked.” 

Noah takes the hint and starts fucking himself back on Dan’s cock, tipping forward to shove his face into the bed. He gets a hand around himself and jerks himself off as fast as he's fucking himself on Dan’s dick. “Mmm, that’s it,” Dan coos and grabs Noah's hips again to start fucking him in earnest. 

Noah lets out a sob that sounds like _don’t stop_ then he’s clenching around Dan’s cock and coming all over the bed. He’s _loud—_ louder than Dan expects and it makes him slam his hips forward a few times. “ _Fuck_ , Noah,” he says through clenched teeth. 

He pushes a little at Noah’s hips, and Noah lays flat on the bed again. Dan follows him down—he’s so hard inside him—and rears up to get his knees planted. Noah’s still moaning into the sheets, still squeezing Dan’s dick, and Dan manages two more deep thrusts before he’s coming, gripping Noah’s hips so hard he’s definitely bruising his pale skin. 

Noah’s moans taper off into whimpers as Dan slows down and pets at the sweaty skin of Noah’s back. They’re both out of breath, panting harshly into the quiet of the bedroom. Dan admires the curve of Noah’s shoulders as they lift and drop with his breath, and he reaches up to stroke along the damp skin. 

After recovering for a few moments, Dan carefully pulls out, wincing at the weird squelching noise. He pets at Noah’s back, down to his ass, along his thighs. Noah lets out a deep sigh and strains to look back at Dan. “I’m dead,” he says, then flops forward again. Dan grins and lightly smacks his ass. 

“You’re welcome,” he teases. Noah starts to laugh but it turns into a groan. 

“Nooo,” he whines, “don't make me laugh. God I’m sore everywhere.”

Dan can’t help it. “From the hike?” He asks, maneuvering onto the bed next to Noah. 

“No, from CrossFit,” he mumbles.

Dan kisses his shoulder. “Is that what we’re calling ‘getting fucked into the mattress’ now?”

Noah grunts, unamused and Dan brushes the back of his hand across his cheek. “You okay?” 

Noah smiles dazedly at him. “Mm hm.” He nods against the pillow and playfully bites at Dan’s fingers. Dan scoots closer, kissing Noah softly. He barely kisses back—and wow is Dan familiar with _that_ state of being. Too fucked out to kiss back. 

“Let’s get cleaned up, hm?” He whispers into the inches between them. Noah juts out his bottom lip. 

“No.” He’s petulant and Dan presses his lips together to smother a laugh.

*

After their shower, Noah still looks dazed. He's sitting on the bed, smiling goofily up at Dan, wrapped in a fluffy robe that apparently Tim had added to his Airbnb experience. He leans back on his hands and watches Dan rummage through his bag for the extra-hydrating lotion he brought. Being at the lake house with a bag that _he_ packed is a very different experience. Dan grabs the container and sits down next to Noah, who immediately snuggles up next to him, arms around his waist. Dan laughs quietly. "Hi."

Redmond trots into the room as if to make sure they're not talking about him, and after sniffing around the base of an armchair and the corner near the dresser, trots back out as if Dan and Noah aren’t even there. 

Noah laughs and plants a smooch on Dan's cheek before sitting up straight again. "Ready," he announces and shimmies his robe off his shoulders, making Dan tilt his mouth in a small smile. 

They do this sometimes, when Dan fucks Noah. After Noah comes really hard, he likes to let Dan take care of him some more. It turns out, Dan feels really strongly about hydrated skin and Noah feels really strongly about Dan's hands rubbing lotion on him. It's really a win-win for them both, Dan thinks. Noah holds out his arm and Dan gently holds his wrist with one hand, while he scoops body cream out of its container with the other. Using a light touch and long soothing strokes, he rubs it into Noah's arm, squeezing gingerly along his forearm, sweeping up his bicep to his shoulder, digging his fingers in a little where he knows Noah holds tension even after the last few hours he's had. 

Noah, for his part, sighs happily every few minutes, groaning when Dan massages his shoulder. Dan pulls the lotion down to Noah's hand, pressing harder around his knuckles and tugging at his fingers, rubbing over the calluses on his fingertips. Noah grins at that, knows Dan always pretends to complain about his rough hands. 

One side done, Dan stands and moves to sit on Noah's other side, and Noah dutifully holds out his arm and slips his eyes shut. Dan repeats his routine, and nudges Noah to lean forward a little to get his back. 

Next, Dan kneels in front of him, and Noah smirks like he always does, and Dan rolls his eyes and grabs a pair of boxer-briefs he'd packed for Noah off the bed and slides them up his legs, pushing aside the fluffy folds of his robe. Noah lifts so Dan can get them around his hips, and then settles back down, reaching out to slide his fingers through Dan's damp hair. Dan braces himself on Noah's thighs to lean up and kiss him, before grabbing a towel to tuck under his own knees. He settles back down and grabs the tub of lotion, and starts at Noah's thigh. 

By the time Dan is finishing, Noah has already laid down on his back, legs still hanging over the side of the bed where Dan is massaging lotion into his calves. “You gonna fall asleep on me?” Dan murmurs, kissing the top of Noah’s knee. 

“Hungry,” is all Noah says. Dan laughs. 

“Oh _now_ you’re interested in the kitchen.” He stands and leans over Noah, pressing a kiss to his sternum. “Let’s get dressed, okay? Then we’ll eat.”

*

It’s raining lightly, but they quickly take Redmond out back to do his business, and then Noah spends the next 30 minutes crowded up against Dan’s side as he makes them a simple pasta dish for dinner. Noah tries to help, offering to slice the mushrooms, but Dan just kisses his cheek and tells him to grab a beer. 

Noah tucks in as close as possible, closer than he should given the fact that Dan’s wielding a sharp kitchen knife. He leaves Dan’s side a few times, to set the table and pour wine and get napkins. But other than that—stuck like glue. 

“I wish it wasn’t too chilly to swim,” Noah laments as Dan grates cheese over their plates, mumbling into Dan’s shoulder and hooking his chin over. Dan smiles and reaches back to scrub his fingers through the back of Noah’s hair.

“It might be warm enough tomorrow. Well—for you. I’ll watch.”

“You like watching,” Noah says, finally supporting his own weight and standing up straight to bring the salad bowl to the table. 

“Is that an accusation?” Dan laughs. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Noah smirks and digs in.

*

That night, wrapped up in Noah’s arms under the blankets, Dan listens to Noah’s heartbeat. They’d been chatting, about Noah’s next project, about Dan’s new pilot, and they’d both fallen quiet at the same time. Dan cuddles closer, tightening his arm around Noah’s middle. It feels _so good_ to be together, and he feels his breath catch at the idea that in 24 hours they’ll be apart again. He takes a deep, slow breath to calm himself. Noah makes a questioning noise.

“What’s up, babe?” He says quietly. 

Dan takes another deep breath. “This is hard,” he offers, but doesn’t elaborate. Doesn’t trust his voice, doesn’t trust himself not to burst into tears, and he doesn’t want to waste any time with Noah _crying_. 

“I know.” Noah kisses his hair, and Dan hears him sniffle and quietly clear his throat. 

He doesn’t mention it.

*

In the morning, Dan wakes up to Noah’s kisses and Noah’s smile in the early morning sunlight and Noah’s curly, curly hair practically flopping over his forehead. He’s sleep rumpled and sexy and Dan wants to stay in bed with him forever. 

It’s later than either of them usually sleep, but Dan gets lost in him anyway, letting Noah press him into the bed and kiss him until their lips are sore. “Mm,” Noah says. “I miss waking up with you.” Dan’s heart _aches_ and he just wraps his arms tight around Noah’s shoulders, pulling him down so his full weight is on Dan. “Sorry, I don’t want to make you sad.” Noah’s voice is muffled against the crook of Dan’s shoulder. 

Noah pulls back and Dan brushes his hair away from his face. “I’m not sad when I’m with you.” Dan wrinkles his nose even as he’s saying it—the saccharine note making him cringe. 

Noah just kisses his forehead and rolls off of him. “Let me brush my teeth and then I’ll make us pancakes?” Dan nods and watches Noah head into the bathroom. He sighs loudly when the door clicks shut. 

*

The day passes slowly, which is all Dan can hope for. They take Redmond for a short walk after pancakes, and Noah decides to brave the chilly water when they return.

“You packed swim trunks for me, right?” Noah asks as he unlocks the front door.

“Wow, are you doubting my ability to pack for a surprise trip to the lake?” Dan teases as he unclips Redmond’s leash. 

Noah just grins and leaves him with a peck on the cheek before bounding up the stairs. Redmond tilts his head, like maybe he wants to run up the stairs, too, but then he detours over to his travel water dish. 

Dan holds Noah’s towel and watches him run down the dock and leap into the lake. Then he doubles over laughing at the yelp Noah lets out when he finally surfaces. Noah comes running back up the dock seconds later, and Dan holds up his towel to wrap him inside, rubbing at his arms as he shivers from the cold water and the cold air and everything Dan had tried to warn him about. Noah cuddles in close and tucks his head under Dan’s chin, which will always make Dan melt because realistically Dan’s not that much taller. Noah makes himself so small to do this and Dan loves him for it. 

Dan doesn’t say, ‘ _I told you so,_ ’ because he’s being nice this weekend, but he thinks it really hard and he thinks Noah gets it anyway, because he groans against Dan’s neck. 

“Let’s get you in a warm shower,” Dan says. 

*

While Noah is in the shower, Dan packs away their kitchen items, and Red’s toys and food and bowls. He keeps clearing his throat to stave off a wobbly lip and watery eyes, but he can’t stop thinking about the look that’ll be on Noah’s face when they say goodbye again. How many times _can_ they keep doing this? He doesn’t regret flying out to surprise Noah, not for a minute, but he does sort of feel bad for putting Noah through this whole thing again. 

Noah’s smiling though, when he trots down the stairs with his duffle slung over his shoulder. He joins Dan in the kitchen and kisses him quickly. “This bag ready? I can bring it out to the car.” Dan nods and watches him walk out the door. He sighs in Redmond’s general direction—Red just rolls over onto his back and lolls his tongue out. Dan figures that’s as good a response as any and leans over to provide copious belly rubs. When Noah returns he just laughs at them and grabs the rest of their bags. Dan gives Redmond a final head pat and then scoops him up to make the journey back.

They stop at a random food truck with picnic tables set up nearby, and they eat hot sandwiches—Noah, a meatball parm and Dan, a chicken and mozzarella panini—and fries. Noah feeds Redmond a few bites of bread and potato, and then the pup is napping in the grass next to them. They’re drawing lunch out, it seems, because they’re both done eating but they haven’t gotten up to throw their trash away. Dan’s hand is resting on the table and Noah picks at a piece of fuzz on the cuff of Dan’s sweater. 

Dan swallows hard when Noah squeezes his hand, and he doesn’t look up—he can’t bear the sad look Noah must be giving him, and doesn’t want to burden Noah with the sad look he knows he can’t hide. They gather their empty plates and fry baskets, and Dan nudges Red back towards the car. They hold hands for most of the car ride back to the condo, and Dan squeezes harder than ever. 

*

The ride to the airport is—awful. Dan doesn’t dare say anything, can’t risk making a sound because he is ready to burst into tears at any moment. Noah spends the ride anxiously clenching the steering wheel and clearing his throat every few minutes. Redmond lays across the backseat with his head on his paws, and he doesn’t even lift his head when Dan turns to look back at him every few minutes. 

Dan wants to reach over and hold Noah’s hand again, wants to tell him to pull over so they can stop for a minute, maybe forever. His chest aches and his stomach hurts and everything is terrible. Goodbyes are _terrible_ and they just keep getting _worse_. 

When they pull up to the drop-off area, Dan feels like he’s going to throw up. Noah’s been radiating tense energy for the last ten minutes and it feels like the end of the world is imminent. Noah throws the car in park and Dan stares out the window, doesn’t think he can survive seeing the look he knows is on Noah’s face. “Dan.” Noah’s voice cracks on the solitary syllable. 

Dan looks at him and—it’s not good. Noah’s eyes are red and his lips look bitten and Dan’s heart is _breaking_. Noah clears his throat. “I—I can’t… do this anymore. Why are we doing this?”

Dan feels like _he’s_ just jumped into a freezing cold lake. “This?” He repeats, voice shaky. Redmond pokes his head between their seats now, and noses at Dan’s arm. Noah ruffles his fur, but gently nudges him back. 

“This,” he confirms. “Flying to Toronto, flying to LA—to spend five hours together! It’s—it’s too much. It’s too _hard_ , Dan. Look at us.” 

He doesn’t want to look in the mirror, but he gets the point. He gets it and it’s—devastating. “So… you don’t want to do this.” It’s not a question. This is it. 

“Dan, it’s not—I _can’t_.”

“Okay, but we—

“It’s too hard.”

Dan blinks. “Okay,” he whispers. Noah doesn’t want to be with someone so far away. That’s all there is to it. 

“We can—I don’t know. I don’t know what the answer is but I _can’t_ do this for another year while you’re in LA. It’s—can _you_ ? Do this for another year? Or _longer_?” 

“Maybe?” Dan says, but it’s so weak even _he_ doesn’t believe it. He wants to, though. 

“Well. I can’t.”

Dan takes a shuddery breath. “Okay,” he says quietly. He’s crying now, looking down at his lap, but he’s trying not to sob. He can sob once he’s through security and sitting miserably at the gate. 

Noah grabs his hand and squeezes it. “Babe, don’t cry, I don’t want you to cry.”

“What? I’m just gonna _not_ cry that the—” he clears his throat “—that this is over?” He shakes his head. “I think that’s a legitimate reason to cry my eyes out. For hours even.”

“Wait—stop—” Noah says. Dan hiccups and turns to look at him again. “Are you—do you think we’re breaking up?”

Dan blinks again. “Am I—are we not—?” His voice is clogged and he sniffles unattractively. 

Noah looks downright shocked. “ _No_ , we’re not!” 

“You said ‘ _I can’t do this!’_ ” Dan exclaims. He feels like he’s got whiplash. “What else could that mean!”

Noah lets out a laugh-sob and surges forward to kiss him, a wet, off-center press of lips. Noah’s still laughing a little, and Dan lets out a few relieved giggles against his mouth.

Dan pulls away to breathe for a second, but Noah pushes right back in for a quick peck to the corner of Dan’s mouth. “Daniel,” he whispers, pausing far too long for Dan’s comfort right now. “You’re the—I love you. I don’t ever want to stop this, okay?” He nudges his nose against the side of Dan’s. “I just don’t want to keep doing it three thousand miles apart.”

Dan wants to melt into him, he can’t believe he thought—Noah wants him _forever._ He’s almost giddy with the thought of it. He wants to wrap himself up in Noah’s _‘I don’t ever want to stop.’_ It’s just—

“I still need to be in LA,” Dan whispers. 

Noah smiles. “So I’ll move to LA.” Dan exhales sharply and bites his bottom lip. 

“But… I can’t ask you to leave Toronto. Your whole life is there.” Noah’s shaking his head before Dan even finishes. 

“I’ve been—I don’t know. Holding on to Toronto for… I can’t think of reasons anymore. It was friends, it was music, it was filming, it was theater. But now… now it’s you. _You_ are my whole life, Daniel. Okay?”

Dan nods, on the verge of tears again, _god_. The warmth in his chest is spreading, and he feels flush with it. Noah’s face is so earnest and honest and _so much_ , and Dan fists his hands in Noah’s shirt to keep from floating away under Noah’s gaze. 

“I am absolutely not spending another year apart from you.”

Dan blinks rapidly, but it’s futile. The tears are spilling over and Noah is wiping them away with his calloused fingers and Dan is seconds away from sobbing for an entirely different reason and—

The car behind them honks their horn for way longer than necessary, and Redmond starts barking at it and soon both Dan and Noah are giggling into each other’s mouths. It’s awkward over the center console, and Dan’s seatbelt is digging into his hip and Redmond is trying to climb into the front seat with them. 

Noah eventually pulls away and lets Red hop into Dan’s lap. The impatient driver finally got what they wanted and stopped laying on the horn, and Dan spends a minute soothing the dog, and then Noah is leaning over again, capturing Dan’s lips in a kiss full of their future. 

Dan is going to miss his flight, so he gently pushes Noah away, and Noah’s grinning at him, looking leagues happier than he did on their drive to the airport. “I’ll miss you,” he says, but he doesn’t sound sad. “I don’t… recording for the album is almost done. I’ll turn down the part at the Tarragon—Vinessa’s been bugging me about a few auditions in LA anyway.” Noah reaches up to lay a hand on either side of Dan’s neck. “I’m just—Daniel.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m coming for you.”

Dan smiles. “Okay,” he says, shrugging helplessly. “I’ll be waiting.” He gives Noah a final kiss and gets Redmond back onto his leash so they can get out. He grabs his carry-on and straightens himself out, getting his coat and hat and things together with Redmond sitting patiently next to him. 

Noah doesn’t get out of the car, because after one too many very public displays of way too much affection culminating in the sobbing messes they were the last time they went to the lake house, they decided that it was best for the driver to stay… out of arm’s reach. 

“I love you,” Dan calls as he bends down to the open car window, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Bye, Dan,” Noah says, grinning.

Dan leans on the door with one hand. “Bye, Noah.”

*

“So,” Dan begins, staring at Noah’s squished face on his phone screen, “the next time you’re here—“

“—the next time I’m there, I won’t be leaving.”

Dan’s smile feels like it’s splitting his face in half and he's not interested in stopping it. 

Noah continues, “We’re gonna take LA by storm!” He says dramatically, waving his hand across his face on the screen.

“Sure, Noah,” Dan laughs. “You and me.”

“Yeah,” Noah’s voice is soft. “You and me.”

They just stare at each other for a few moments. Dan finally clears his throat. “How’s the packing? Are we still set for—“

“—two weeks from today, yeah. Kali is coming tomorrow to take photos for the listing and then I can start really packing all the boxes. Don’t worry. I’ll be ready, babe. Can’t stop me.” Noah winks awkwardly and Dan laughs again—soon he won’t be able to keep his joy inside his body. He’ll just burst at the seams. He grins at Noah.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”


	4. Epilogue: i'm gonna look this time

It’s been six months since Noah moved in, and they’re both still _incredibly_ busy—Noah is planning for his next tour and picking up sporadic gigs at local bars with friends he’s made over the years. Dan is working on a new show, and they’re in the middle of filming their first season. 

Though they’re busy, it’s so _nice_ to come home to each other. Even though Dan trips over Noah’s shoes inside the door and Dan’s forever collecting Noah’s half-drunk mugs of tea from every room. Noah allegedly collects all of Dan’s half-written notes from every room in the house and tucks them into his journal, but Dan doesn’t think he really leaves his notes in that many places. 

They sleep in the same bed almost every night, and they’ve been back to the lake house twice for long weekends together. It’s nice to leave LA, for one, and the atmosphere at the lake house just lends itself to disconnecting. One of them is usually always coming or going when they’re in LA, that’s the nature of their careers. 

But at the lake house. They can just… stay. It’s pretty far, though, and their schedules may not allow for those long trips in the near future. 

Dan got the email 17 days ago. All the paperwork went through, the down payment was settled, and the bank approved the money. Now he just has to decide when to tell Noah. He stares at the message in his inbox. He could just… _tell_ Noah over dinner. Just throw it out there. _I have a surprise_ , he could say. 

Noah flops onto the bed next to him and Dan swipes back to his home screen. “Whatcha lookin’ at?” Noah asks, nosing into Dan’s space. Dan flips over onto his back and pulls Noah on top of him, phone forgotten in the folds of their blankets. 

“Your face,” Dan says, kissing Noah’s nose. Dan thinks he’s funny, but Noah just rolls his eyes.

“Good one,” he mutters, leaning down to lay a wet smooch on Dan’s cheek. Dan tries to squirm away, but they both just end up giggling loud enough to disturb Redmond from his bed in the corner. Redmond clicks his way over to them, and then sits politely and stares at them. Dan stretches his arm down to give him a few ear scratches, and Noah joins in, grinning when Redmond starts making pleased grumbles. 

Scratches delivered adequately, Dan and Noah get ready for bed, and Dan thinks about telling Noah while he’s washing his face, while he’s moisturizing, while he’s brushing his teeth. Every time he feels the words at the back of his throat, he has an ice-cold feeling like, _what if it’s too much?_

They settle under the covers, and Noah tucks himself into Dan’s arms with a tiny little pleased sigh that he makes every night, and Dan smiles into the darkness of their bedroom. “‘Night, babe,” Noah mumbles against Dan’s chest. 

“Love you,” Dan replies. 

*

It’s 33 days after Dan gets the email and seven days after Noah starts acting _weird_ that he decides to finally share the news. Noah has been acting fairly cagey for a few days, and Dan thinks it’s because he’s nervous about going on tour again. He’s mentioned, off-hand and jokingly, that he thinks the first tour’s success was either a fluke or due to the show’s success. And he won’t have that to fall back on. 

Dan tries to reassure him when it comes up, tells him his tour was one-hundred percent Noah Reid, but he knows Noah is hard on himself anyway.

He still seems incredibly stressed out, so Dan knows this is the right time. 

“Oh, I booked the lake house for this weekend. We don’t have anything on the calendar,” Dan says as he stirs a pot of pasta while Noah does work at the kitchen table, Redmond sprawled out under his chair.

“Yeah?” Noah meets Dan by the stove.

“Mmhmm. Thought you could use some time away. Been kinda stressed?” He leaves the wooden spoon on the counter and turns to face his boyfriend. Noah bites his lip and looks—almost guilty—but his expression changes and he breaks into a grin. 

“Yeah,” he agrees. “Great idea, babe.”

*

Dan doesn’t answer any of Noah’s questions when he redirects him from packing his airplane luggage to instead packing a smaller overnight duffle. “I thought we were going to Lake Rosseau?”

“We are going to the lake house, mm hm, okay, you pack. I’ll be in the kitchen,” Dan says, leaving no room for follow-up questions. He’s a terrible liar, and if Noah asks him too many direct questions, he’ll crack under the pressure. 

Noah seems to catch the drift, and he obediently packs their bags into the car while Dan gets Redmond ready for the car ride. 

The drive is a little over an hour, and Dan can tell that Noah is itching to ask questions about halfway through. Dan settles a hand on Noah’s thigh. “You’re not gonna kill me in the woods out here are you?” Noah asks.

Dan bites his lip to stifle a smirk. “Why—you scared?”

“Of being murdered in the woods, yeah!” Noah laughs, peering out the window. 

“Don’t worry, babe,” Dan teases. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” Noah turns back to Dan, smile open and honest when Dan glances over. Noah leans over the console to kiss Dan’s cheek. 

“I trust you.”

*

“Not that I don’t love _this_ house,” Noah starts as he gets out of the car, gesturing to the modest lakefront property in front of them, “but I’m a little—”

Dan puts his hand over Noah’s mouth. “May I?” Noah nods. “Thank you.” Dan moves his hands to rest on Noah’s shoulders. “I did something.”

Noah stares. “Are there… more… words?”

Dan nods, but doesn’t say more words, just pets nervously at Noah’s shoulders. Noah grabs Dan’s wrists and brings his hands in front of him, pressing kisses to the knuckles of each hand. “Go ahead,” Noah murmurs. 

“So… I _know_ that this house is not… the—well the mansion that we rent from Tim. But, we can drive to this one?” Dan reaches into his pocket to pull out a set of keys “Because… _this_ one… is _ours_.”

Noah’s eyes widen and dart from the keys to the house and back—several times. 

Dan chews his lip nervously. 

“What?” Noah’s voice is a whisper. 

“It’s—it’s ours. I bought it. For us. Surprise?”

“Dan,” Noah says, voice breathy. 

“You’ve been so stressed out lately I thought this would be the perfect time to tell you.”

That makes Noah jerk his head up. “I’ve been stressed?”

“Um—” Well now Dan’s not sure what's going on. “Yes? You’ve been up late on the computer for the last week, tugging at your hair.” Dan reaches up to pluck at a curl. “Plus you had that really tense phone call a few days ago. I didn’t hear anything, but I saw you in the backyard pacing?”

Noah is smiling now, and Dan did not expect the surprise to be so confusing. “Dan,” is all Noah says, voice soft. 

Dan furrows his brow. “Yeah?”

Noah takes his face in his hands and presses their foreheads together. “Oh my god, Dan,” he sighs, and this is getting _weird_. 

“Okay, _what?_ I promise it looks better on the ins—” Noah cuts him off with a quick, hard kiss, startling a squeak out of Dan. 

“Marry me.”

Dan rears his head back. _“What?_ ”

Noah rolls his eyes, and that’s just great, this is not going _at all_ like Dan planned. “Marry me. I was on the computer trying to figure out what the fuck to give you when I asked and I was pacing on the phone with Stacey so she could talk me down after one too many rabbit hole internet searches. _Marry me_.” Noah is breathing hard after his speech and his eyes are wide and wild. 

There’s wetness on Dan’s cheeks and wow he did not even know he was crying. He wipes his cheek. “That’s not much of a question, huh?” He asks, and then immediately wants the ground to swallow him whole. Was there ever any chance of him _not_ fucking up his own marriage proposal? 

Noah smirks and then starts to kneel down, but Dan pulls him up by his shoulders. “Oh my god, no, don’t do _that_ , god, _yes,_ I’ll marry you,” he says, and they’re laughing and Dan throws his arms around Noah’s shoulders. Noah wants to _marry_ him.

“Ah, fuck, Dan, I don’t have—I don’t have a ring or—”

“I need you. I don’t need anything else,” Dan says into the side of Noah’s face. 

“You got me,” Noah says as he pulls back. He kisses Dan, perfect and soft and teasing. “It’s kinda forever now, huh?” He mutters against Dan’s mouth. 

Dan grins. “Kinda.”

“I really wanted to have a _plan_ or something. At least something to give you. Don’t suppose you have anything in the car. How do you feel about engagement cheese?”

“Mm, you know exactly know I’d feel about engagement cheese. I don’t have any, though. I do have a stack of sex towels for us. You wanna use those?”

Noah kisses him again. “Yes. Just what I wanted my whole life. _Engagement sex towels_.”

“Well, then you’re in luck. I guess you made the right choice.”

“Yeah,” Noah replies. “Yeah, I did.”


End file.
